September 2025 Burn Bulletin

On August 2, Erika Mendoza took a break from her camps and recreation duties to join AARBF volunteers Hydra and Redvine at the Hell of a Half Marathon. Erika and Hydra manned an information booth where they were able to meet participants and connect with local burn survivors. They were super excited to meet up with Redvine as she crossed the finish line. The Hell of a Half Marathon is an annual tradition, and we were happy to be able to spend the day with these dedicated runners. We are very thankful to receive a portion of the event proceeds to support our youngest burn survivors through Champ Camp.

On August 15th, AARBF’s Katrina Arthur had a wonderful night at Goldenrod Elementary in Kerman. Students, Fresno County Sheriffs, and Andy the Armadillo from Texas Roadhouse showed off their Stop, Drop, & Roll skills at the 2025 Kerman National Night Out. AARBF is proud to support our local communities and to share our fire and burn prevention education programs with students and their families. 

Past and present Champ Camp counselors got together to reminisce about their camp experiences on August 16th at Colonel’s home in Morgan Hill. 

The weather was perfect in the low to mid 80’s and no wind.  Amazingly everyone remembered to put on sunscreen and drink plenty of fluids (not all of it water).  The food brought by everyone was outstanding the desserts varied and tasty, and the hot dogs and hamburgers were filling with a variety of salads to add to your plate.  After dinner we sat around the campfire and told of our meaningful memories. Some pretty funny and all of them about how their participation changed other’s lives and in so doing changed their lives. 

The most important part of the day was seeing everyone, hearing about what’s up in their lives, and making new memories with our Champ Camp/AARBF Family.

Join us for the next What Now Workshop where Emily Naughton will share tips to help you manage and reduce stress. 

Our monthly virtual workshops are open to everyone; you do not need to be a burn survivor to attend. Take advantage of this session by registering today at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/2-R4RrRVQdOqyPDK2zwGHQ#/registration

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, September 18th, at 7:00pm.

Would you like to be a part of shaping future programming with AARBF? We are looking for family members, friends, and other caregivers of burn survivors to complete a short survey. This survey will help us to better understand your needs as caregivers and how we can support those needs through new or enhanced programming.

Take our survey today at: https://tinyurl.com/yfvxjx5b

For questions, please contact us at info@aarbf.org.

Why wait until the last minute when you can secure your tickets for this year’s 15th Annual Dinner & Dance in Clovis today.

Your ticket price includes a great meal, opportunity to outbid your neighbor for a tasty dessert, access to our silent and live auctions, games and prizes, and more! All attendees will receive a commemorative glass in honor of our 15th year of making memories in Clovis.

You’ll have the chance to bid on great silent auction items like ticket packages to the Fresno Grizzlies, a Family Pack of tickets to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, and a night out at the movies.

Visit our event page at https://givebutter.com/c/2025AARBFDinnerDance to learn more.

If you would like to donate to our silent or live auction, please contact Katrina at karthur@aarbf.org.

We are super excited about the 1st Annual Beers for Burns Fundraiser.  A special thank you to our AARBF volunteers and community members who are hosting this event at the Ratio Beerworks in Denver on October 25th. The night will include Live Music, Hourly Raffles, Food Trucks, and a Silent Auction. All proceeds from the event will support sending youth burn survivors to Champ Camp.

When: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Where: Ratio Brewery, 2030 S Cherokee St., Denver, CO 80223
Doors open: Noon – 6 pm  

If you plan to be in the Denver, CO area, please visit www.givebutter.com/BfB-Denver to get tickets. Or you can support this event by making your tax-deductible donation today.

The Friends of AARBF is a quasi Alumni Association for past and present volunteers, camp counselors, staff, prevention partners, fundraising partners, survivors and their families, everyone who has been a super stakeholder for AARBF along the way these past 54 years.

We plan on this launching as a social group to get reconnected as much as anything else at the start, and we hope to grow it into something grander, maybe helping in fundraising to keep the foundation’s work going strong, maybe even become our own auxiliary 501(c)3 non-profit in the future!  While there will be social, volunteer, and donor opportunities, there is no commitment until something strikes your fancy and you feel like participating!

If you have already joined, thank you. Please help us reach more people by sharing this message with your AARBF friends.

If you are interested in joining us, please provide your contact information here: https://forms.gle/AMQrDVo4NcSmZU6i8

For questions about the association, please reach out to Mike “Otter” at 650-515-6142 or otter.mouser@pacbell.net.