LOS ANGELES – Driving rain no doubt dampened attendance at the Out of the Ashes fundraiser Friday but it did not prevent intrepid members of the cannabis industry and others from making the trip downtown to help raise money for victims of the Malibu fires. The all-day event—organized by The Malibu Foundation, Future Cannabis Project, Emerald Exchange, California Cannabis Manufacturers Association, UCLA Canna Club, and AWA OASIA—raised over $10,000 for The Malibu Foundation, according to Peter Cervieri, co-founder of the Future Cannabis Project.
“It was a bummer waking up the next morning to a beautiful, sunny day,” he joked a few days after the event. “But for me the people who were there for the dinner made the most magical moments of the evening. People trickled in throughout the day, but most came for the dinner, which was beautiful.”
The venue was a large, open space featuring a long bar and wide hall leading to an outside patio, where large awnings kept people who needed to go outside dry. A separate room held the sound bath and yoga, the educational panels during the day were held in the main room, and sponsors manned small tables scattered throughout the place, which was festively decorated and featured a large circular hammock in the middle of the room that easily held three or four randy adults.
The day culminated in the four-course chef’s dinner held in the main room. “There were at least five people whose houses burned down who got to enjoy the dinner and feel the love,” said Cervieri. One, Yvonne Delarosa Green, owner of 99 High Tide Collective in Malibu, gave a short talk during dinner in which she thanked the community for coming together. A representative of The Malibu Foundation also addressed the diners.
“This was a building block for the next event,” said Cervieri. “We might take over a place for a day and curate a fun experience. In this case, it was for a cause. With the next one, it may be because we want to just have fun.”
Out of the Ashes sponsors can be found here.
See all the photos by Kevin G. (@quebins_world)
