(Left to right) Dylan Fullmer, Jake Yoon and Mason Cohen presented a $50,000 check to Yogurt Shoppe owner Adam Wolfson.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT
Three teens, Mason Cohen, Dylan Fullmer and Jake Yoon, have proved they are men. They have done what governmental officials have not been able to do after the January 7, 2025, Palisades Fire. They have provided five local Pacific Palisades businesses with $50,000 checks.
The money was presented at Casino Night, a sold-out event on January 9, attended by Councilmember Traci Park, Actor/Comedian Martin Short and recently announced mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt.
A sold-out casino night helped raised money for local businesses.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT
The money will go towards subsidizing rent payments for Garden Cafe and Ruby’s Nails which have reopened and to Jaime Geller Jewelry, Yogurt Shoppe, and Gerry Blanck Martial Arts Center, which plan to return to the village.
Café owner James Kwon said “A huge shoutout to Mason, Jake and Dylan for creating @buildbackpali What you’ve accomplished is truly impressive. You’re an inspiration to so many and a clear example of leadership for the next generation.”
Ruby Nails owner Ruby Hong-Tran and her staff added, “Thank you so much for your incredibly generous gift. I was truly touched by your kindness and thoughtfulness. It means more to me than I can express, and I will always be grateful to you. We will never forget this.”
Cohen, Yoon and Fullmer lost their homes in the Palisades Fire and were displaced to different areas of the city, but their friendship continued.
The three had grown up together, starting as kindergarten students in Village School. They spent time at their favorite shops and restaurants, including the Garden Café, a popular youth hangout. They played baseball, basketball and football at the Palisades Recreation Center. They hung out at each other’s homes, and of course, they surfed.
Lifelong Palisadian friends at the beach.
In February 2025, the high school sophomores Cohen (Windward), Yoon and Fullmer (Harvard-Westlake) created Build Back Pali. Less than a month after it was formed, they had already raised $100,000.
The origin of Build Back Pali came after they watched a video of manager Albino Fuentes walking through the ruins of Cafe Vida. In a story in the Palisadian-Post “Rebuild. Restore. Revive.” they told reporter Steve Galluzzo that “It was heartbreaking to see such a cornerstone of the Palisades community reduced to ashes—a place we’d eaten at countless times for over a decade,” Cohen said. “Seeing the devastation on Albie’s face made it clear that we had to take action and give back to the community that was such a big part of our childhood.”
Cohen said, “We’ve spent countless hours setting up the nonprofit, organizing fundraising, managing our website and social media, and reaching out to the community for support. It’s a big commitment but we’re passionate about doing our part to help our town rebuild.”
Fullmer said that the group wanted the Palisades to know: “We’re all in this together.”
The name Build Back Pali came up naturally in conversation while they were brainstorming ideas. “Dylan probably said it first, but we all immediately felt it captured our mission to help restore the Palisades while keeping the spirit of our community alive,” Cohen said.
Yoon said that because the businesses are the heart of the neighborhoods, that “it’s our turn to step up for them.”
The trio set up Build Back Pali as a 501(c)(3) so all donations are tax deductible.
To learn more about these young men and to support Build Back Pali, click here.
(Left to right) Jake Yoon, Mason Cohen, and Dylan Fullmer watch as Gerry Blanck (holding check) thank the young men for the financial support.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT
I believe our mayor, city councilors and county board of supervisors could all learn a lesson from these 3 young men…but they won’t, of course. Congratulations on a job well done, gentlemen.
Well done men! Way to surf the Wave of Life! You are leading your generation to a true path to support of a community. Money raised into the hands of those that produce and work to make a community thorough their hard work and dedication. Even if they do not actually live in the community, they are a most important part of our community!