Tech Leaders Helping with Tech: A Wildfire Survivor's Story

On March 9, at the Jackie Robinson Community Center in Pasadena, wildfire survivors—including Patricia Benoit—received donated laptops, tablets, and hotspots to help them rebuild their lives. The initiative, known as "Tech Leaders Helping with Tech," was a collaborative effort led by Thomas Phelps, CIO and SVP of Corporate Strategy at Laserfiche, and Phillip Ramón Leclair, CIO of the City of Pasadena. 

With its headquarters in Pasadena, East West Bank showed up for its community alongside key civic and nonprofit partners, including the County of Los Angeles, Everyone On, Human-I-T, UNITE-LA, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), T-Mobile, YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, Laserfiche and many others to advance #digitalequity across our region for residents most in need! Delete The Divide, Everyone On, Human-I-T, UNITE-LA, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), T-Mobile, YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, Laserfiche and many others, to advance digital equity for those most in need.

East West Bank played a pivotal role in supporting the initiative, with team members Memo Inal, SVP - Director of IT, and Kelly Lin, VP - IT SOX Project Manager II, attending the event to distribute laptops. 

The Eaton wildfire, the second most destructive fire in California history, left many residents displaced with little more than their phones. The challenge of rebuilding was compounded by the lack of access to technology, making it difficult to complete online forms for assistance, find long-term housing, and access programs offering food and other necessities.

For Patricia Benoit, January 7 started as a normal evening—until she noticed a helicopter overhead and saw flames in the distance. By the next morning, water had been shut off, and at 8 a.m., her street ignited. Six houses, including hers, were lost. Amid the overwhelming loss, Patricia felt disconnected from the world, struggling to find resources, communicate with loved ones, and handle the mountain of paperwork required to begin rebuilding her life.

That’s when Phelps stepped in. After hearing about Patricia’s situation in a group ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control Association) text, he reached out to see how she was doing. Their conversation revealed just how critical access to technology was for displaced residents. "I felt disconnected from the world as I tried to get my bearings," Patricia recalled. "There were so many forms to fill out, and children without a computer to keep up in school."

Phelps took action, partnering with Leclair and Human-I-T to spearhead a laptop donation initiative. East West Bank, Lenovo, and other major players quickly joined the effort, donating devices to wildfire survivors. The initiative garnered support from T-Mobile, Robert Half, World Central Kitchen, and several nonprofit organizations. T-Mobile provided hotspots to eligible households through Project 10 Million, ensuring continued connectivity for displaced residents.

For Patricia, the donated laptop became an essential tool in her recovery. 

Leclair and Phelps have called on IT professionals to continue contributing unused laptops, emphasizing that donations—even as few as five devices—can make a significant impact. Let’s work together to spread this initiative such as these you may seen on social media, publications and the news:

Organizations looking to donate unused devices can visit Human-I-T’s donation page. 

Los Angeles County residents impacted by the wildfires can apply for free devices, subject to availability, at human-i-t.org/fire.