My name is Hollyann Dickinson and I am 10 years old. In August, my life turned upside down because I lost my home in Boulder Creek to the Santa Cruz Complex fire. It was the worst day of my life because I lost everything I cared for and many of my friends also lost their homes. I am thankful that we safely evacuated with our dog Rufftin and our bearded dragon Willy.

After we evacuated, we moved five times. Everywhere we went, there were really nice people that helped us. We finally settled in Mount Hermon and I met a new friend named Sarah. Everyday I look forward to seeing her and playing with her. She taught me how to do a front flip on a trampoline.

What has also helped me feel better is art. Art makes me forget about all the bad stuff because I get to create. I like drawing, acrylic and watercolor painting. Sometimes I like to doodle with my paintbrush, turn my picture around and look at it from a different angle. When I do this, I sometimes see different shapes that remind me of an animal or something that I didn’t mean to draw at first.