Palisades-Founded Nonprofit Saved By A Story to Host Fundraising Salon

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Nonprofit Saved By A Story—founded by Palisadian Kathy Katims—will host a fundraising event on Saturday, November 1, at BLANKSPACES in Venice.

“After losing my Pacific Palisades home in the 2025 wildfires, I created an ongoing group for other survivors to process and heal,” Katims said. “To sustain this and other work, we’re hosting our annual fundraising event, the Storytelling Salon, on November 1.”

Storytellers from the Palisades, Altadena and greater Los Angeles area will share stories and songs during the event on the theme “Still Here,” which “honors the resilient Palisades and Altadena communities.”

Writers and storytellers slated to present are Tamara Rawitt, Karen Leigh Hopkins, Jason Katims, Shermaine Barlaan, Megan Chan Meinero, Chris Douridas, David Israel, Jessica Goldberg and Al Madrigal. Musicians include Priscilla Ahn, mehro and Lucy Schwartz.

“I lost more than my home in the wildfire,” Katims said. “For me the diaspora of community was a profound grief. I also was so overwhelmed with all the things that needed to be done that I wanted to create a space apart from the doing. I wanted to come together in community and give voice to all the things we lost and all that we were finding. Monthly meetups of the Wildfire Survivor Writing Workshop at the Wende Museum helped knit our community together and give voice to our pain and our hope.”

Founded a decade ago, Saved By A Story hosts “free community writing workshops for under-resourced and under-served populations” to “empower voices and build connection.” More than 500 storytellers have participated in programming.

The November 1 event will take place from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at 606 Venice Boulevard.

“100% of ticket sales go toward free community writing workshops for under-resourced, underrepresented people, including senior citizens, wildfire survivors, intergenerational participants and former foster youth,” read the description.

Tickets start at $150, with a sliding scale available for those who reach out to Katims.