On the afternoon of January 21, a long line of people stood outside the Collins & Katz Family YMCA in West LA. They were among those affected by the Palisades fires and had been forced to evacuate. Inside the gymnasium, Greg Perlman, founder of The Change Reaction, was waiting for them with 500 checks, each ranging from $2,500 to $5,000, ready to be distributed to the impacted families.
Perlman and his wife, Jodi, founded The Change Reaction in 2019 with the initial goal of providing financial assistance to families during hospitalizations. Though they had always been generous donors to charitable organizations, they wanted to do more — believing that direct giving had the power to make a greater impact.
A few months earlier, they gathered their three adult children for a family meeting and made a bold decision: they would give away 75% of their wealth during their lifetime. But rather than simply writing checks to charities, they sought a more meaningful, hands-on approach — one that would engage their entire family and become their shared mission. Their vision was clear: to see their funds go directly to people in need, making an immediate and tangible difference in their lives.
They had seen firsthand how little support was available for these families, whose expenses — ranging from medical bills and hotel stays to transportation — quickly mounted. Determined to make a difference, the Perlmans created a fund at UCLA and began working with hospitals and social workers to provide financial aid to struggling patients.
Over time, their nonprofit expanded, reaching beyond hospital patients to assist others in the community facing financial hardships. By partnering with social workers, police officers, lawyers, city council members and other local professionals, they were able to connect with hardworking individuals in need of support during critical moments in their lives. If, for example, someone’s car broke down and they needed $1,600 for repairs to get to work, The Change Reaction stepped in to help.
When the Palisades fires erupted, destroying thousands of structures, the Perlmans knew they had to act fast. They launched the Change Reaction Wildfire Direct Giving Fund with an initial gift of $10 million. The fund collaborated with local leaders and faith-based organizations — including Palisades Presbyterian Church, Chabad Pacific Palisades, Kehillat Israel and United Methodist Church — to identify those in need and provide immediate assistance.
Among those waiting patiently in line were Dan Johnson and his wife. Although their house hadn’t burned, they were unable to return home. They had evacuated with only a few essentials — some clothes, laptops, a few albums, framed photos and important documents.
“Finding a place to rent was incredibly difficult, but we got lucky and found a house in Encino,” Johnson said. “The challenge now is that the house is unfurnished — we need everything: beds, a sofa, tables, you name it. Our insurance has a high deductible and since our house didn’t actually burn, we don’t qualify for much assistance. The $770 from FEMA barely makes a dent.”
Another Pacific Palisades homeowner, Ann Miller, expressed her gratitude for the financial assistance from The Change Reaction. “So many of us who had to evacuate are starting from scratch,” she said. “It will take quite some time for insurance companies to assess each house and begin paying out. Any help we can get now is truly appreciated.”
In an interview with The Journal, Perlman shared that he planned to distribute a total of $1.5 million to Palisades residents that day. A couple of days later, he organized a similar event in Altadena.
“We are the largest direct-giving organization in LA,” Perlman said. “We use our own money to uplift the community — hardworking people facing immediate challenges. When this disaster hit our town, we realized we needed a disaster relief program to provide direct giving to the community. The Change Reaction was built for moments like this, where speed and direct impact are crucial.”
Perlman has a deep connection to the neighborhood. As a child, he attended Brentwood School when it was still housed in trailers. His best friend, a Pacific Palisades resident, lost his home in the fire.
“Some days, he tells me he’s definitely going to rebuild and other days, he says he won’t. When you go through a trauma like this, you have good days and bad days,” Perlman said. “He’ll be OK but when you lost everything, everything you ever collected and meant so much to you, it’s hard. Honestly, anyone that I’ve been talking to has this empty look in their eyes. They have been traumatized and they are hurt. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such trauma.”
The event was the first community gathering since the fires, bringing together impacted families as they began the long road to recovery.
“This is where the real work begins,” Perlman said. “Because soon, another disaster will happen somewhere else and in a month or two, no one will be talking about this one anymore. It’s just like Lahaina — at first, it was ‘Save Lahaina,’ ‘Help Lahaina,’ with t-shirts and fundraisers everywhere. And now? People have moved on. They’ve forgotten.”
The fires didn’t just impact homeowners and renters; they also upended the lives of countless housekeepers, landscapers, pool maintenance workers, handymen and other service providers.
The fires didn’t just impact homeowners and renters in the burned areas; they also upended the lives of countless workers—housekeepers, landscapers, pool maintenance workers, handymen and other service providers who relied on the Palisades community for their livelihoods.
“We need to support people in every way possible to help them rebuild their lives. That’s where the real challenge lies,” Perlman said. “Handing out checks is the easy part.”
Want to help out? For more information, please visit: www.changereaction.org/wildfiredirectgivingfund
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