Rachel Burke was one of many who evacuated the Los Angeles fires with little notice on January 7.
"I have a four-year-old, a seven-year-old, and a baby who will be born in about two weeks," Burke said.
She and her family of almost five quickly evacuated their home in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, leaving nearly everything behind.
"It's not the stuff that you lose, it's the community that you lose," Burke said.
Small School Districts' Association Executive Director Yuri Calderon and many people in the Montecito community know this trauma firsthand.
"And that feeling of just not knowing where to go or what to do during the day," Calderon said.
In support of victims of the LA fires, Cold Springs Elementary and community partners are offering a free day camp to evacuated children ages 6-16.
"I think it was just nice that we invited them into our community and so they can have, like, a nice feeling of what it's like to be here in Santa Barbara," said 6th grader Jake Miller.
Miller knows what it's like to overcome trauma. He was in the Cold Springs kindergarten class of 2018 which lost one of its own to the deadly 1/9 debris flow. He says it was his community that helped him heal.
"There's always going to be someone who's, like, there for you," Miller said.
The camp has more than 70 children in attendance and plans to run through Tuesday, according to principal Dr. Amy Alzina.
"A lot of the kids came in with tears and they were scared, and now they're happy, they're playing with each other. It's what a community is all about," Alzina said.
And that community will likely have one more member in a few weeks.
"I’ll end up having this baby here in Santa Barbara. This is a great community and hopefully, we can pay it forward someday too," Burke said.
