Save Newport Real News in Newport Beach
After last Friday’s fire which took out the home of a beloved Balboa local, Ali, the community support has been absolutely overwhelming. Ali has been in the community for at least a decade that I can remember, always happily working at “Happys” (officially known as Bal Harbor Liquor), on the corner of Palm and Balboa. Directly diagonally from this was his residence, which sadly caught fire last Friday during an electrical fire.
Sadly, his home is a case of a total loss. Ali was left only with the clothes he was wearing as he watched his home become enguled in flames. Almost immediately, the call went out on social media to bring him clothes, “Pant size 34×32, shirts large, socks, underwear, bring them by Happy’s. “, said the messages.
Shortly thereafter, First, the lighthearted image popped up on social media (used as article image) when just yesterday, Cruisers Pizza Bar created a “FUNdraiser” to help Ali get back on his feet, donating 15% of all sales from 8pm-2am on Friday night– a huge sacrifice as Friday is one of their busiest nights and surely helps pay a lot of bills for them.
Late last night, text messaging and social media sharing went out about a GoFundMe account (https://www.gofundme.com/b7e378ac) set up by yet another local to help for those who wish to contribute directly. At just a few hours old, the campaign is more than a quarter of the way to its modest goal.
While donations to the GoFundMe are preferred, if you would like to donate in cash instead, just this morning both Cruisers and the Class of 47 announced that they will be accepting cash donations– just ask the bartenders.
If you’ve been to Happy’s corner store at Palm and Balboa, then you’ve probably met Ali. He’s always quick with a smile, loves his RC cars and is forever in a Rasta hat.
It is always heartwarming to see the community come together after events like this. Please spread the word, and hopefully I will see you Friday at Cruisers! If you haven’t had their pizza yet, this is definitely a good excuse to get out there!
