We provide resources, guidance, and connections to empower those affected by the Palisades and local fires. Through collaboration, and sharing trusted knowledge, we aim to strengthen our local communities, fostering resilience & hope.

In 1979 I was still in junior high—Madison Junior High in the Valley—when Mom moved us out to the Palisades. Suddenly, at the tender age of 15, I became immersed into a whole new culture, the beach surf culture.
 

Since music was, and still is, my passion, I found a home at the Music Bag, the OG music store in Pacific Palisades (now the Amazing Music store) as my first job. It was a safe, supportive, and loving environment. Patrick Hildebrand and Ray Sullivan, friends to this day, and all the other music students I met, molded me into the big-hearted (or so my wife says 😊), philanthropic businessman I am today. 

My memories of growing up in the Palisades make me feel ever indebted to this awesome community and this is my time to pay back. Out of the tears and out of the ashes, we are, and will continue to be, “Palisades Dolphin Strong.”

As we witnessed the tragic events of the wildfires unfold, my heart began to sink. My initial reaction of shock and disbelief quickly turned to extreme sadness. 

Pacific Palisades is the place where I grew up, attended junior high & high school, and formed many lasting memories and connections.

 

After a few days, I realized that thoughts & prayers would not be enough to impact our community to recover. So, we decided to take action and enroll Pali alumni to join forces and this is how PDS was created.

 

We are a pod of dolphins that swim together, and look after each other.

I escaped the fire from Castellemmare Hill in the Palisades on my motorcycle. I am blessed that my father's home is still standing where I was living after caring for him because of dementia for 3 years.
 

Luckily, we had just moved him into a memory care facility 2 months before the fires.
 

After processing the shock, disbelief, and grief from others' great loss from this tragedy, I so wanted to give back in some way. My heart broke over the fate of my hometown, and the whirling emotions of friends and neighbors.

 

Then fellow Palisades High alumni Scott Berger pulled me into this heartfelt empowerment project. I am so happy to be of service for the place where I grew up, and, indeed, our entire City of Angels in whatever capacity I can.

In 1970, after much searching, my folks found a home in this sweet beach town of Pacific Palisades.

This home would be our place of laughter and happiness, music and cooking, and also high school heartache and of course, getting grounded.
 

I loved that that “home” was always there, long after I had moved away.  I could return and visit with the new owner of the house or go to the Palisades Parade or to a friend’s parents’ house when that friend had come into town for the holidays.
 

How unfathomable to see all the devastation for people I knew growing up and those who came after, all of whom had enjoyed the Palisades the same way that we had.
 

That house I grew up in is gone now and I felt lost.
 

But, when I heard that my fellow Palisadians were putting together a nonprofit that would serve our community, I immediately said “sign me up.”
 

It is my honor and blessing to be a part of this, and to provide for all of those who’ve been affected by these fires. Whether you’ve lost your home, know of somebody who has, or have just been overwhelmed by how cruel and heartbreaking all of this has been, we hope to help you through.

I grew up in Pacific Palisades since 1968 and my mother continued to live there till 2010. The Palisades is and was always a special place for me. I grew up in a mid-century house and that influenced my love for architecture.
 

There have always been fires and that’s what influenced me to build fireproof homes when I became a custom home builder. In the 90s, I moved to Arizona and had a 32-year building career, using ICFs (insulated concrete form), Adobe, Solar, and utilizing sustainable materials, always keeping in mind fireproof.

While a lot of people are moving out of state. I’m moving back to use my experience in rebuilding the Palisades and Southern California.

"Pacific Palisades," and "Patrick," are synonymous with each other.

Patrick, is our honorary Board Member.                                             

For over 50 years, starting with The Music Bag, on Antioch, partnering with Raymond Sullivan, and to the legacy of the late The Amazing Music store, he is an icon, a friend, and mentor to many.  "If only everyone had been educated correctly about the cyclical events of the how the wind in the Valley drives fires over the hills to the ocean (it happens every hundred years or so and was witnessed by and taught to us by the indigenous Indians), we might have survived this horrible event."
 

During a recent conversation Patrick said he mentioned to someone also affected, "I am with you through the ashes, the tears, and sadness, but we will come out of it with a smile."

Patrick and crew can only claim the Amazing Music Store outdoor "SIGN" as the sole surviving item of the store.
 

Patrick and his son P.J., promise to rebuild.