After retiring from La Cañada High School, where she taught for 17 years, Gayle had her life planned out. But now, as she navigates insurance claims, itemizes their belongings, and works to rebuild their home, her future looks far different than she had envisioned.

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The couple have both launched separate GoFundMe campaigns, raising over $144,000 as of Friday. The high school also shared a link on its website to help Gayle and 26 other teachers affected by the fires.

Gayle and her family have received an outpouring of love and support from their communities, something she is deeply grateful for during these challenging times.

“It makes me cry at night. I get emotional about it because I taught for so long, and, when you’re going through the motions of teaching, you don’t realize what impact you’re making on people, not just the teaching part,” Gayle said. “I delivered a great lesson, but that you’re impacting people’s lives, maybe changing the way that they see things, maybe making them kinder, maybe making them more aware.”

Altadena

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