December 2025 Burn Bulletin

Please join us in congratulating Katrina Arthur on her recent promotion to Associate Director! Within her expanded role, Katrina will be responsible for staff management as well as the day-to-day operations of the Foundation. She will continue to be a strong presence in both our fundraising activities and prevention programming, where she has fostered collaboration among stakeholders (team members, survivors, volunteers, and community partners) and encouraged open innovation.

Katrina is looking forward to working with the Board of Directors in the coming weeks on budgeting and strategic planning. She can be reached at karthur@aarbf.org.

Northern – North Bay
On Wednesday, November 5th, Erika Mendoza from Survivor Services was able to ride along with Ross Valley Fire and go from station to station collecting donations for AARBF. An amazing total of $20,170 was raised. Sixteen fire departments from across Sonoma and Marin County joined in, bringing back the procession of engines and making this year’s North Bay Firefighters Burn Relay truly impactful. Thank you to all of the departments for coming together to support our mission.

Northern – South Bay/Peninsula

On Thursday, November 6th, the South Bay Firefighters Burn Relay took place, with Lea Elder from our Executive Board accompanying Erika Mendoza from Survivor Services as they traveled from station to station. Although there was no engine procession this year, each department warmly welcomed the relay team and showed tremendous generosity. Starting in Santa Clara and ending in Daly City, the relay raised an outstanding $44,973.50 in just one day, making it another truly impactful and successful event for our burn survivor community.

Southern – LA County

On Friday, November 7th, Chris McKeever from our Executive Board and Martha Banks from our Survivor Services team traveled to six southern California fire departments for the SoCal Firefighters Burn Relay. The Relay was able to raise an awesome total of $21,500. Thank you to the six wonderful fire departments that were able to be a part of this year’s relay, we look forward to being able to bring the full engine procession back for next year.

On Saturday, November 22nd, AARBF welcomed supporters from across the Central Valley to the Clovis Rodeo Grounds for a sold-out 15th Annual Dinner & Dance. Attendees enjoyed the live, silent, and dessert auction as well as Plinko and a Whiskey Tasting to help raise $45,440 for AARBF and its programs. With generous donations from small businesses and sponsorships from CALFIRE Benevolent Fund, Johansons Transportation, Fresno Fire Chiefs Foundation, CVTR, CVFCU, Fresno City Local 202 and Councilman Mike Karbassi, we are grateful for the success of this event. 

Special thanks to Riley’s Brewing, Quintessential Wines, Ponchos Pumpkins, and Paisley Wines. 

And to our volunteers from the Fresno City College Fire Academy Class 64 and Sierra High CSF, your hard work is greatly appreciated. 

We felt this year’s event was incredible, but do not take our word for it, this is what one of our guests had to say:

“This year’s Dinner & Dance was a blast! It was so special to be a part of this event and have the opportunity to invite burn survivors from the Bay Area to attend. Events like this are a great reminder of how many good people come together to do something special for the burn community. Seeing different community partners, survivors, and friends of AARBF all together in the same place celebrating each other and having a good time was such a great way to kick off the holiday season.”

We look forward to seeing you at our 16th Annual Dinner & Dance on November 21, 2026. 

From November 12-15, our survivor services team of Michael, Martha and Erika attending the Phoenix Society’s World Burn Congress in Convington, Kentucky. An amazing group of 800 burn survivors, caregivers, medical professionals, and community members gathered together for 4 packed days full of powerful/insightful workshops, shared experiences and uplifting moments. The team was able to support the congress through leading support groups, being a part of panels and presenting about the amazing programs AARBF is able to provide in California. It was a great week of connection and continued healing.

Our Northern Care Manager, Michael Knopf, had this to say, “given that I was burned over 25 years ago, I felt for a long time that World Burn Congress wasn’t intended for me and that I had missed my window to attend and it be impactful. I felt like I was no longer the target audience for an event like that and it was more suited for folks who had been burned more recently. I could not have been more pleasantly surprised have the realization that WBC is an opportunity for all burn survivors to explore their identity and feelings as a burn survivor regardless of when, how, or how badly you were burned. It was so incredible for me to experience this and it was a much-needed reality check that no matter how far I’ve come, or how much progress I’ve made there is still so much gain from opportunities like this.”

During the month of November, long time volunteers and supporters of AARBF, Mike “Colonel” Sanders and Mike “Otter” Gonzalez hosted a donation matching challenge. We are excited to share we received $2,562 in donations of which $2,000 were matched by Colonel and Otter for a total of $4,562 Thank you to everyone who shared Colonel’s message and supported the matching campaign. We are truly grateful for you.

Our year-long sticker of the month campaign is ending. This is your last chance to receive our exclusive sticker of the month, with December featuring a festive snow globe Champy. Get yours today by making a one-time donation of $100 or more through our website or annual appeal giving page. Your support today will help us reduce our wait lists for in-demand burn survivor camps and recreation activities, such as the Young Adult Summit and Adult Retreat.

Meet Nils “Skipper” Gjertson, who’s life path changed when he was injured in a house fire that burned over 25% of his body- including his face, arms and hands.  Across the years of his recovery, Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation’s programs helped Skipper come to terms with both physical and personal challenges. According to Skipper, “AARBF’s Champ Camp, community and leadership programs filled a large void and gave me both a purpose and a sense of belonging without judgement”. Today he is a strong contributor to those programs teaching lessons he learned to new burn survivors as a camp counselor and volunteer. Visit https://givebutter.com/AARBF-AA-2025 to read Skipper’s story.

Now in our 55th year, AARBF programs have helped burn survivors across California. Please help us to deliver lasting results in our community via a direct donation now.  Our small staff and large pool of volunteers, like Skipper ensure that every dollar you contribute has a high impact. Now more than ever, we need your help, please donate and share this message with friends and family.