February 2025 Burn Bulletin

January 8th-13th, Ducky and Hydra had the incredible opportunity to represent AARBF at the Thrive Retreat, hosted by the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund. This event brought together young adults for workshops designed to equip them with valuable skills and insights to navigate young adulthood. In addition to the learning experiences, they enjoyed a range of fun winter activities, including attending a hockey game, snowboarding, skiing, snowshoeing, tubing, and more. We thank the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund for inviting us and creating such a memorable experience. Here is what Ducky and Hydra had to share:

“Being able to go to a different country was a blessing. I never would’ve thought I would be able to go to Canada. My favorite part would be meeting new people from a different country and experiencing my first hockey game as well as for snow tubing.” – Ducky

“The most magical thing about the burn community is that whether you’re in your hometown or in a completely new country, there are people who accept you wholeheartedly. And when that kind of love is present, it provides healing you didn’t know you needed. I’m so thankful for every single person I met at Thrive and for the experience of a lifetime.” – Hydra

January 18th-20th, our incredible Champ Camp program team came together on the beautiful Central Coast to kick off preparations for Champ Camp 2025. Under the guidance of our amazing camp co-directors Rocks and Willow, the weekend was filled with brainstorming and planning, all with one goal in mind; making camp the best part of our summer.

Rocks and Willow were joined by our dedicated program staff: Zinger, Dash, Chaos, Tex, Kamikaze, Kika, Apollo, Jack Rabbit, Shakespeare, Jersey, Spaz, Pookie, and Knuckles. These amazing individuals pour their time, energy, and passion into making camp not just fun, but safe and life-changing for everyone who takes part.

Watch our social media for announcements on this year’s theme and how you can help make the dream of attending camp a reality for burn survivor youth throughout California.

Last month, we introduced our sticker of the month for 2025. When you receive your stickers, please be sure to show it off on social media, tagging @aarbf, and use the hashtags #aarbf #shareyoursticker.

Reminder – you can earn your sticker by volunteering or donating $100 or more within the given month (one sticker per person). Each month will have an exclusive design, representing our appreciation, or highlighting one of our programs or services.

Applications are open now through May 31, 2025 for the Woody and Louise Reed Bridge to Life Scholarship. This incredible program, made possible by the Reed family, awards scholarships to burn survivors or their immediate family members seeking post-secondary education after high school. This can be community college, college, university, or trade school and is open to all ages going directly into or returning to education.

For burn survivors pursuing higher academic degrees, Master’s level or PhD, use the same application for the Aiming Higher Scholarship, funded through Care Plans for Life, to supplement your school cost and pave the way to your bright future.

Apply today at: https://forms.gle/pjkdLejUMfefvXsbA

For questions, please contact us at [email protected].

Applications are now open for Champ Camp Counselors and CITs. This year’s camp will be held June 7th-14th (Counselors arrive Thursday, June 5th).

Apply today: http://app.campdoc.com/register/aarbf

Applications close on February 28, 2025.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Erika “Kika” Mendoza at [email protected].

Join AARBF on February 13th from 6:30 to 8 pm for our monthly Burn Care Professionals Support Group.

This group is designed as a monthly group in which burn care professionals such as Nurses, Firefighters, Social Workers, and other related professionals can come together to share their experiences while caring for Burn Survivors in both hospital and acute settings. The fires in Southern California continue to have a tremendous impact on the residents and first responders in the affected areas, and for those not in SoCal, the fires might serve as a difficult reminder of past fires in other parts of the state. AARBF holds space for any burn care professional having difficulty processing the impact wildfires, past and present, have on us. We welcome you to join us if you would benefit from support, or offer support to those currently in need. Our support group will be facilitated by an AARBF Care Manager aimed at supporting the mental health of our dedicated healthcare professionals, first responders, and support staff.

The support group will take place via Zoom. Please reach out to Michael at [email protected] for questions.

Did you hear the news? Registration is now open for the Women’s Empowerment Weekend, March 27th-30th in Oakhurst, CA. The weekend event is open to women burn survivors ages 21+.

Register today: http://app.campdoc.com/register/aarbf

If you have any questions, please reach out to Erika “Kika” Mendoza at [email protected].

Mark Your Calendar – The annual Torrance Firefighter’s Spaghetti Dinner & Bake Sale is coming up quickly on March 8th. Proceeds of this event benefit AARBF and Champ Camp. We are so grateful for the tremendous support of the Torrance Firefighters Association, Local 1138. We hope to see you there!