Teens 4 LA: From a School Supply Drive to a Model for Youth Led Crisis Response

$50,000+
raised
$10K
in 3 days

Overview

When the Palisades and Eaton fires tore through their communities, two teenagers, Aliyah Redding and Kyle Godwin, didn't wait for adults to lead the response. Partnering with youth mental health nonprofit Another Awesome Day, they built Teens4LA: a rapid, tech forward relief campaign combining Pledge powered peer to peer fundraising, crypto and fiat donations, and text to give, raising over $50,000 in a campaign that grew from one school's supply drive into a model for youth led crisis response.

The Challenge

In January 2025, the Palisades and Eaton fires devastated communities across Los Angeles, displacing families, destroying homes, and leaving students at schools like Dunn School watching their neighborhoods burn. Teen organizers Aliyah and Kyle wanted to act immediately, but needed a way to mobilize both their local school community and a much wider donor base, including a growing web3 and crypto native audience, quickly, transparently, and without red tape.

The Solution

Peer to Peer Donation Form Text-To-Donate

Working with Another Awesome Day, Teens4LA launched a fundraiser on Pledge that let supporters give however was easiest for them: fiat or crypto, in person at donation drop off points, or via text to donate (TEENS4LA to 70707). A peer to peer fundraising page let teen leaders and supporters create their own campaigns to multiply reach, while Pledge's flexible donation infrastructure let the team direct funds across multiple vetted partner organizations, including WalkGood LA. The campaign paired grassroots action, including school supply drives, Costco runs, and direct family support, with high profile digital amplification, including a livestreamed benefit with will.i.am and an NFT collection (Art4LA) where mint transactions doubled as an on chain proof of donation.

Aliyah Redding
Teens4LA

Another Awesome Day appreciates Pledge’s accessible, compliant platform for our social impact efforts. When Los Angeles students reached out following the wildfires, we used Pledge to mobilize our digital communities and launch the Teens4LA initiative. This fundraiser enabled us to support over a dozen organizations providing immediate and long-term resources for LA youth, while allowing our team to focus on mental health, digital advocacy, and ongoing student support.