March 2025 Burn Bulletin

The AARBF website has been completely redesigned with you in mind!

What’s Changed?

Friendly Layout – Cleaner design for both computer and mobile devices

Simplified Navigation – Quickly find content with the improved menu and content headers

Enhanced Donation Portal – Offering both credit card and digital payment options with tax receipts provided instantly through email

Improved Events Calendar – Easily find upcoming events right from the home page

Increased Connection – Connect with AARBF on services most important to you by utilizing the contact forms available throughout the site

Click here to visit our home page to check out our new look today.

AARBF’s Daniel Chacon and Michael Knopf kicked off the month of February by attending the Santa Clara Crab Feed on the 1st. We were excited to see the return of this event which was held at the Great America Pavilion in Santa Clara. There were over 250 people in attendance, enjoying terrific food and having the opportunity to learn about AARBF.

Thank You to Santa Clara City Firefighters Foundation for supporting AARBF and to Elizabeth “Tum Tum” Harkins for spending some time with us. This year’s event raised $10,000 for AARBF.   

The first full week of February is National Burn Awareness Week (NBAW). NBAW was created by our friends at the American Burn Association, as an annual initiative to bring together burn, fire and life safety educators to educate the public about the devastation and causes of burn injuries and the steps you can take to prevent them.

This week’s theme is “Burn Prevention Where You Live, Work, and Play – Preventing Burns in the Homes.” We shared tips on our social media throughout the week to show ways to prevent burn injuries to keep you and your family safe. 

On Wednesday, February 5th, AARBF partnered with nine fire departments, the Fresno Fire Chiefs Foundation, the CRMC Burn unit, and the Central Valley Firefighters Credit Union for the 10th Annual Central Valley Firefighters Burn Relay. The relay traveled across the valley starting in Madera headed to Clovis, Sanger, and down into Kingsburg before heading to the Fresno County Fire Museum at the Fresno Fire Headquarters in downtown Fresno. AARBF is proud to partner with these Fire Departments who donated a total of $19,000 in support of AARBF and our burn survivor programs, such as Champ Camp. 

Thank you to CALFIRE MMU LOCAL 2881, CALFIRE FKU LOCAL 2881, Fresno Fire Local 202, Clovis Firefighters Local 1695, Sanger Firefighters Association, Selma Firefighters Association, Kingsburg Firefighters Association, Hanford Firefighters Association, Fresno Fire Chiefs Association, Coalinga Firefighters Association and a special thank you to the Central Valley Firefighters Credit Union for sponsoring the luncheon for all participating departments. 

On Thursday, February 6th, AARBFs Michael Knopf and Katrina Arthur joined CRMC Burn Unit Staff at their Burn Awareness Day on campus at Community Regional Medical Centers, Fresno. During the event, they shared burn prevention tips and educational materials with 209 visitors. Even Franco the therapy dog got in on the action, showing attendees how to Stop, Drop & Roll!  Thank you to the Burn Unit staff for inviting us to share the work and mission of the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation. 

The Young Adult Summit (YAS) was held in the stunning town of Cambria, CA, where we had the privilege of hosting twenty-five amazing young adults, February 14th – 17th. The weekend’s theme was “Light Your Own Way,” and our workshops focused on empowering our participants with valuable life skills. We covered topics like Travel 101, Communication Skills, Automotive Basics, Credit Essentials, and Public Speaking.

As a group, we enjoyed the beautiful weather, took in the sights of the Piedras Blancas Light Station, and toured the historic lighthouse and surrounding area. The group also connected with nature through oceanfront walks, building friendships while reflecting on the exciting next steps and changes in our lives.

A huge thank you to the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance for making the journey to California and joining us for such a special weekend.

A special shoutout goes to our very own Buggy and her team for hosting the incredible Etiquette Dinner year after year.

Lastly, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to our passionate volunteers: Chief, Bubbles, Dash, Kamikaze, Butterbean, Tex, Zinger, Buc, Hydra, Monkey, Shakespeare, Buggy, Stretch, Blondie, Chris, and Kika.

In addition to the Young Adult Summit, we had another incredible group of survivors join us in Cambria for our annual Adult Retreat. Since the weekend coincided with Valentine’s Day, we centered the theme around the eight different types of Greek love. We had the privilege of hosting thirty adult burn survivors, creating an opportunity for connection and empowerment. The weekend featured powerful workshops, including speed conversations to enhance communication skills, exploring the various types of relationships we navigate, shadow work, vulnerability, setting boundaries, and addressing heartbreak, grief, and loss. The group also enjoyed a trip to the beach, soaking in the beautiful weather together. Thank you to everyone who was a part of this weekend, we are already looking forward to next year.

A huge thank you to the BC Professional Fire Fighter’s Burn Fund and the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance for making the journey to California and joining us for such a special weekend.

This weekend would not have been possible without the dedication of our incredible core volunteers: Cindy, Wendy, Jill, Lea, Kevin, and Daniel. Thank you for your time and passion for our burn community.

AARBF’s Katrina Arthur joined the staff, board and members of the Central Valley Firefighters Credit Union at the 90th Member’s Dinner on February 21st. Katrina was proud to introduce the work and mission of the foundation to the members and invited them to support us at the Silent Auction which topped off the evening of dining and celebration. Our growing partnership with the CVFireCU and the generosity of its members helped to raise $1,025 for burn survivors and AARBF.  

We want to share that our Executive Director, Daniel “Apollo” Chacon, ended his long tenure as an AARBF staff member at the end of February.  While stepping away from his role, he has assured us that we will continue to see him at programs and events and he will always be a well-loved member of our Foundation Family. 

We want to thank Daniel for his energy, loyalty, passion, and commitment to the Foundation. He worked his way up in his > 11 years as an employee and has worn many “hats”, often at the same time, as well as taken a wider leadership role across the national Burn Community. He has had a tremendous impact at every level of the Foundation and added many innovative new programs and services. He is well loved by our survivors, their families, staff, and volunteers and will be deeply missed. His strengths include deep relationships across our organization. As one camper stated, “He doesn’t just know me, he knows my whole family.” 

In his time at the Foundation, we have served more than 1,000 children at Champ Camp, educated 100’s of thousands of children through our FISE programs and continued to build our reputation throughout the State, National, and International Burn Community. Daniel showcased AARBF’s Champ Camp as the gold standard of burn camps while chairing the International Association of Burn Camps. He has highlighted the healing power of recreational programs for burn survivors through research presented at the American Burn Association. And Daniel used AARBF’s FEMA grant to work alongside other burn professionals across the country to spearhead the creation of the IMPAC Tool to encourage behavior changes that implement burn prevention education.  His silly side leaves a legacy as well, the “big fish, little fish” song he brought to campfire is a Champ Camp favorite and there is no one who can do it as well. 

On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff please join us in wishing Daniel the best and in thanking him for his unwavering commitment to our success.  

Ps.  Watch for leadership announcements to come soon.