I’m reaching out to you today to ask for your help with a friend of mine, Craig. The wildfires in Southern California have been devastating, and Craig and his family have been hit particularly hard.

Craig is a high school teacher, but he’s more than just a teacher – he’s a mentor to many young people. And now, he and his wife, Lusi, are facing a huge challenge. Lusi’s mother lived nearby and lost her home of 36 years to the fire. Craig and Lusi are her main caregivers, as she’s elderly and has memory issues. And to top it all off, their two children are in college, so they’re juggling a lot.

I know this is a tough situation, but I’m confident that Craig and Lusi will bounce back. It won’t be easy, but they’re strong and resilient. The sooner they recover, the sooner Craig can get back to being the amazing teacher and mentor he is.

So, if you’re able to help out in any way, please click the link below. Even a small donation can make a big difference. Thanks so much for your time and consideration.

You can donate here at GoFundMe.

If you aren’t sure this is a good cause worthy of your support, read on.

Craig shared some heartbreaking news with me. His neighborhood in Altadena is completely gone, wiped out by a devastating fire. I’ve been there countless times, and it’s mind-boggling how a fire could have destroyed such a peaceful residential area. And to make matters worse, he mentioned that half the city is now in ruins. It’s truly a tragedy.

Craig and Lusi only had enough time to stuff a couple backpacks with some clothes. After the fire, these are all the belongings they have left, plus their vehicle.

About Craig

The Chess Club

Craig is the chess club advisor at his high school, and it’s been on a roll lately! They meet in his classroom during lunch, which means he misses out on his own lunch break. But hey, it’s worth it for the club’s popularity. In fact, they even made it to an episode of the TODAY show back in 2023! You can read about the club and watch the TODAY coverage here.

Over the years Craig has been involved in several extracurricular programs with his student.

Backpacking

I first met Craig over 15 years ago on a backpacking forum. The young man, who at the time was half my age, wasn’t a favorite of mine. Talk about two people who are diametrically opposed on so many levels!

The San Jacinto Loop

In 2010 I decided to plan a backpacking trip and invite any member from Backpackinglight.com to join me. In those days the membership and participation at BPL was at its peak. Probably the largest backpacking forum on the internet in those days. The trip was a loop through the San Jacinto Mountains, a trip I had done before.

I knew that not too many people would want to join me, as it is quite a strenuous hike. But I was surprised that just one person would sign on. Even more surprised it was Craig Wisner.

This trip made me realize that social media is a real bummer. We lose our humanity when we’re behind screens. We’re social creatures, after all. There’s nothing really social about the medium — it’s actually anti-human. And here I was, face-to-face with a stranger I didn’t really like — what a strange thing to say about someone I’d never met in person.

People say our society is divided these days. Well, social media is the one dividing us. We spent three whole days backpacking, and we had plenty of time to chat. We talked about all sorts of things, even politics and philosophy. We had different opinions, but we never argued. Turns out, we had a lot in common. And we even became good friends.

Here’s a trip report of our San Jacinto Loop adventure.

Anza-Borrego Trip

Craig and I are quite alike in that we both love solo backpacking trips. For me, it was totally natural that a couple of years would go by before we did another trip together. But in the meantime, our friendship only grew stronger. In 2012, we finally made it to our third trip together – a weekend in Anza-Borrego.

This is a trip report Craig put together afterwards on his blog.

The Important Stuff

An occasional get together, such as this one in 2018 up in the San Gabriel Mountains. Craig hauled up a couple of cold ones . . .

Sometimes, we just catch up without going on a backpacking trip. Maybe a text or email, perhaps in-person in Palm Springs or at his house in Altadena, which doesn’t exist anymore. We’ll chat about a lot of things that interest us both.

Anyway, you probably figured out that I really like Craig.

Almost 2,500 years ago, Aristotle said,

“Happiness is having a complete life lived in accordance with virtue and having a moderate amount of external goods.”

These are the two things we need for a good life. Virtue comes from within. External goods, the material things we need (not want) are often the result of good luck; sometimes these needed external goods can slip away when bad things happen. Craig is a virtuous man. Bad luck took the external goods he and his family need.

I hope you will help with a donation.