'Rising Together:' Rose Parade float honors those impacted by Palisades and Eaton fires

PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- As the floats for the Rose Parade start to come to life, there's one that not only has a beautiful and important message, it's served as a healing project.

Survivors of the Palisades and Eaton fires have been working on a special float since the day after Christmas, which was perfectly named "Rising Together."

It honors the 13,000 families who lost their homes, and in the spirit of resilience, the California Community Foundation and the Black Freedom Fund are co-sponsoring the float.

"It's a reminder that there are people rebuilding," said Andrew King, an Eaton Fire survivor. "There are people that want to come home, and the only way to do it is for us to kind of do it together."

"You're seeing this image of this Phoenix rising from the ashes, you're seeing this butterfly that's a sign of renewal and hope," said California Community Foundation Chief Impact Officer Cielo Castro. "You're seeing acorns that are a sign of regeneration, and you're seeing the 31 sunflowers that represent each of the victims of the fires itself, and I think you're just really overcome by the beauty and the emotion and the hope that we're hoping the float elicits."

Eight wildfire survivors who lost their homes have been asked to ride on the float on Thursday and several others, including community leaders and volunteers, will walk alongside it during the parade.

"To be called to ride on this float, it's just an honor because to represent all the people that lost their homes in the Altadena and Pacific Palisades areas is just amazing," said Eaton Fire survivor Darlene Leyba.

Jacque Robinson-Baisley, another survivor, believes the float is a testimony and a symbol of the community's resilience.

"I'm riding on the float, but I hope people see me riding not as an individual, but as a representative of my community, as a representative of Pasadena and Altadena," she said.

The survivors are also reminding people that they're still plenty of work to be done in the recovery process.

"We have to be joyful, and we have to be appreciative, but the truth is there's still a long way to go," King said. "The road to recovery is quite long, and we have systems that aren't working for us as well as they should. In order for us to move forward, we want to make sure that people don't forget that recovery is still happening in the yearend, and while we may look happy, there's still a lot of work to be done."

You can watch the full Rose Parade starting at 8 a.m. Thursday on ABC7.