About Us
We are Megan and Gabriella. Our families shared a Spanish duplex on Woodbury near El Molino, next to the yellow four-plex on the corner.
We love Altadena deeply. It is home. We know many Altadenans feel the same. It continues to awe us that more connections have grown between our community members while we are scattered as a result of this tragedy. That is a testament to the strength of Altadena. Altadena is a special place, which is something that those of us who have made Altadena home understand deeply.
There are so many incredible individuals, community groups, and nonprofits working to rebuild Altadena and advocate for all of our community members, especially those that have been marginalized by historical patterns of inequity. Our desire to come alongside the changemakers and the people who have given their hearts and souls so far in this fight.
We formed to build community. Our hearts are in connecting people and promoting healing, joy, equity, inclusion, and placekeeping, and we are looking to build a physical space to do the work of community.
In the pursuit of these goals, we realized that there are some ways we can come alongside the work already being done to build community physically as well as personally. In thinking big, we want to get bold with our asks to create a holistic plan for our community not just replacing what was lost but dreaming for what we want included in the future.
We have some understanding of how urban planning works at the county level, and we have been working to advocate for the planning philosophies that will allow our community the space and support not only to rebuild, but also to reimagine and create the built-Altadena that supports the incredible people who call it home. Let’s dream about what’s possible so that all can be emboldened to demand the change Altadena deserves.
Megan Hinchliffe Gerig earned her B.A. and M.Ed. from UCLA. She has been an educator for seventeen years, the last twelve of which have been at an LAUSD pilot school in unincorporated East L.A. Megan is a teacher-leader, who served on the Governing Board and School Site Council for a decade and currently serves as a member of the Instructional Leadership Team, the 11th Grade Level Team Lead, the 9th Grade Advisory Lead, and as a member of the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support Team. Her work in education has reaffirmed her value for community (it is central to everything), and helped her recognize that collective action accomplishes more than an individual working in isolation. Working at a small pilot school for over a decade has helped hone her capacity to be flexible and approach challenges with a “yes and” attitude. She and her husband had lived in a few places, but nothing truly felt like home until they moved to Altadena in 2017.
Gabriella Caparco-Robertson earned her B.A. from UCLA and has worked in the education space for over a decade. Throughout her career, storytelling and meaningful shared experiences have been at the core of how she helps others feel seen, heard, and valued. In her current role, Gabriella provides support to organizations for at-promise youth, to which she brings her tenacity and heart of service. Over some of the most important years of their lives, she and her family lived through disasters and milestones, and made memories in Altadena. They moved to town in 2011, just in time for the big wind storm; got married, started and finished grad school, and had kids just as COVID-19 hit.
Some might know her husband, who served on the Altadena Town Council, remember her late pit bull Rosie from walks around the neighborhood, or remember her kids from the cover of Altadena Neighbors magazine.