Brick by Brick Bringing Back LA

"JD Slajchert Partners with Sean Penn and Ann Lee’s Nonprofit CORE for LA Marathon Fundraiser"

Los Angeles is my whole life. My earliest days were spent up and down the beatific SoCal beaches, growing today into weekly Laker games, Hollywood red carpets and delivering lectures to my students as a professor at a local university. But it hasn’t always been sunsets, hoops and exclusive movie premier champagne flutes. In 2018, my family and I lost our Malibu home in the flames of the vicious Woolsey Fire, only to have tragedy strike again in 2025 when our beloved restaurant perched atop Pacific Coast Highway, Moonshadows, burned into the ocean following the firestorm that was the Palisades Fire. Tragedies that in an instant took away two bedrocks of not just our own lives, but the lives of so many that enjoyed precious moments at our restaurant in the decades it stood as an iconic pillar of our coastal community.
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I can tell you from experience that it’s an unsettling shock in the beginning. Your mind runs each night when you try to close your eyes with all the precious mementos, family photos and cherished belongings turned to nothing but ashes, dust. You begin to get comfortable constantly on the move, shuttling from place to place. But deep down inside, over time and through consistent internal intention to your thoughts and fears, you then start to experience a pulling force to prevail. Somewhere in it all, you lay down that first brick, and then another, and another, and then you start to believe again. You look up, you see the resilience in your neighbors, and you start to feel hope.
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As my home has endured one of the greatest global disasters in recent history, it’s with a great deal of pride I announce that I’m now locking arms with CORE to join in the rebuild of our city by helping to raise money by preparing to run in the upcoming and globally celebrated 41st Annual City of Los Angeles Marathon. What cofounders Sean Penn and Ann Lee have built at CORE is an army of mission driven helpers that are working every day to bring our city back by standing beside the vulnerable and those most in need. It’s as noble a mission there is, and I’m honored to run in support of this leading nonprofit.
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The spirit of Los Angeles will forever embody every bit of who I am and what I aim to stand for, so to run for every Angeleno sister and brother of mine affected by these disasters is as important a challenge I’ve ever taken on in my life. You are not alone in your loss, and I will be right there with you all on race day, and every day after that follows. So, on March 8th, I invite you all to join me as we come together to heal, remember, and run hard for brighter days as we rebuild our city, brick by brick, so we can once again celebrate all the amazing sunsets our legendary home has to offer. Please consider donating today at the link below and sharing this message to help us spread the important awareness for our mission. LA, we are resilient, and I thank you all for your continued generosity, kindness and support.

https://fundraisers.hakuapp.com/CORE-JD-Slajchert​

- JD Slajchert

About CORE: Founded after the 2010 Haiti earthquake by Sean Penn and Ann Lee, CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) is a global humanitarian organization that empowers underserved communities in and beyond crisis. CORE’s community-powered work is informed and fueled by local hands. When crisis strikes, we listen, we learn, and we act to quickly fill gaps, mobilize resources, and develop long-term recovery solutions. With a focus on equity, CORE provides critical relief to marginalized and vulnerable people, from the conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan to hurricane-ravaged states across the U.S. and beyond. Learn more about CORE’s work at www.coreresponse.org, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.