This post was updated Feb. 19 at 10:44.

Torrential downpour did not stop UCLA students, alumni and Westwood community members from attending February’s fire relief First Thursdays event.

On Feb. 6, First Thursdays – typically hosted on Broxton Avenue by UCLA Strategic Communications and the Westwood Village Improvement Association – took place in the Palisades Room in Carnesale Commons because of a weather storm the day it was scheduled. Attendees donated to the Alumni Bruin Swag Drive, learned about wildfire relief efforts and picked up free treats and prizes.

Businesses such as Gus’ Coffee, Insomnia Cookies and Geffen Playhouse hosted stands at the event, joined by UCLA student-run clubs such as iKNITiative Crochet Club, Art MEDified, Center for the Art of Performance Poetry Bureau and Henna with a Heart.

The event’s fire relief theme was intended to show UCLA’s connection to its community, said Eddie North-Hager, interim executive director of UCLA Media. A part of organizing each First Thursdays event is reaching out to student organizations, he said, with a wide array participating in the Feb. 6 edition.

“First Thursdays has always been UCLA’s love letter to Los Angeles and the community and Westwood,” North-Hager said.

Rhea Gill, a second-year dance and public affairs student, said she volunteered at a station showcasing poems that members of Student Committee for the Arts wrote for attendees.

“I’m definitely taking away from how talented my peers are in SCA, how they are literally just writing these insane pieces, for free,” Gill said.

Henna with a Heart, a club devoted to the art of henna, painted eventgoers’ hands with traditional and LA-inspired designs, selling its designs to raise money for Bruin Wildfire Relief Funds.

Anoushka Bhat, founder of Henna with a Heart, said First Thursdays was a chance for the club to showcase its passion.

“It is a way to show other Bruins what we really enjoy doing and expose them to something new,” said Bhat, a fourth-year computational and systems biology and computer science student.

[Related: Henna with a Heart promotes artistry, community service with traditional art form]

American Red Cross at UCLA also hosted a stand at the event, training students in CPR and informing them about must-have items for an emergency “go bag.”

Razi Aftab, a member of the club, said it is important for the community to be prepared in the case of an emergency, especially in the wake of the LA County fires.

“We are going out of our way to make sure that people are prepared for emergencies like this,” said Aftab, a first-year electrical engineering and microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student. “In the aftermath, we try to make sure that we are providing as much support to people as possible.”

UCLA Government and Community Relations supplied guides about diploma replacement and mental health following the wildfires at its booth, said Duane Muller, the department’s senior executive director. An online forum created by the office’s alumni colleagues collected the names of over 1,000 Bruins willing to help in relief efforts, she added.

“This is a moment in time that we’ll never forget,” Muller said. “We all want to be part of it.”

UCLA Volunteer Center hosted a workshop where attendees addressed letters to first responders and people affected by the wildfires. Students could also register for volunteer opportunities the center organized as part of the Bruin Relief Initiative.

Additionally, UCLA Health’s People-Animal Connection, a therapy animal program for the UCLA Health hospitals, brought two therapy dogs – Lucas, a golden retriever, and Abby, a Maltese – to provide mental health relief for eventgoers.

Kristen Lorico, a People-Animal Connection coordinator, said she thought it was important to bring the therapy dogs to First Thursdays to provide a way for UCLA students, the community and wildfire victims to destress.

Students went home with souvenirs from the night, including items from club-run stations and Westwood businesses, as well as photo booth pictures – a First Thursdays staple.

“We took a picture, and our friend collects them from all the First Thursdays we’ve been to,” said Ayesha Ashraf, a third-year human biology and society student.

Ashraf also picked up tickets to free showings at the Geffen Playhouse, she added.

At a stand hosted by the Fowler Museum, students were also asked to write letters for themselves to open five to 10 weeks later.

Alfredo Moran, a third-year history and musicology student and Fowler Museum representative, said participating in First Thursdays was a way for the museum to better integrate itself into the Westwood community.

Other artistic activities included a cozy crafting corner with iKNITiative Crochet Club, a bracelet-making station, a live portrait drawing experience, a unique button-crafting station and a ceramic love emoji painting station with Splatterz.

“I think having something like this not only allows us to keep those families and those first responders in our minds and our thoughts but also provides a distracting space for those members who are still affected to relax and take a breath,” Moran said.