Backing the Brave is a newly formed club that encourages students to find appreciation for first responders and provide volunteer opportunities to help the community.
“The goal of the club is to break the negative stigma surrounding first responders, especially our police department,” club president junior Lea Foster said.
By raising awareness and teaching students to have respect and pride for first responders, Backing the Brave is creating a community filled with compassion. In their weekly meetings, they often show their support for these first responders through writing letters to them and more.
“This club offers many different opportunities for students to give back to first responders in our community,” club vice president Radin Moosavi said. “It’s all for a great cause.”
Due to the recent fires that took place in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, among other areas in California during the early months of 2025, and the dire effects that were caused, firefighters have specifically been facing backlash, and the members of the board aim to combat these negative ideas. Through their club, Backing the Brave hopes to create bigger support for first responders and call attention to the true responsibility and importance of their work.
“I chose to start this club because I felt inspired to shine light on the reality of what our first responders do,” Foster said. “My dad is a first responder himself, so this mission is very close to my heart.”
Many first responders today are overshadowed by the immense effort and work that they do daily, and are usually underappreciated as it is expected of them to contribute to these causes. The members have acknowledged these issues and were inspired to create a club that can help make an impact on the support they receive. Through Backing the Brave, members want to help create a force that lets these first responders know that they are appreciated and give them the motivation to continue working to help people fearlessly.
“Our biggest goal this semester is to do volunteer work for the Los Angeles wildfires relief,” Foster said.
With their hardwork and dedication to supporting first responders, the club has truly made an impact on their community. In the near future, they hope to continue doing so and create positive change around them.
“Others should be interested in my club because this is an extremely important aspect for the future of our country that is being overlooked everyday,” Foster said. “There are [always] ways to help out, and that’s what we’ll do.”
Through the events they offer, such as donation drives, the club is doing a large service to the community where citizens heavily rely on these first responders while they do not expect any gratefulness in return. By channeling further support to these key workers, they are helping make their community a better place that appreciates all the selfless work these individuals do and are making their mark as they contribute to these organizations of humanitarian support.
“Backing the brave is exactly what the title suggests,” Moosavi said. “We want to highlight all of the hard work that these first responders give to our community and send it back to them.”
