September 2026 Burn Bulletin

Time is running out to get your tickets for AARBF’s 16th Annual Dinner & Dance on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the Clovis Rodeo Grounds. This event sells out each year, so purchase your tickets today to ensure your spot. 

Please note: tickets are advance purchase only; they will not be available at the door.

Purchase through our event site: https://givebutter.com/2026DD

On August 8th, AARBF’s Erika Mendoza had the opportunity to be part of the Hell of a Half Marathon in Exeter, CA. The event was officially sold out with an incredible 800 runners taking on the challenge.

It was the perfect day, filled with accomplishments, family time, and so many people coming together for an amazing event. The Hell of a Half Marathon has supported AARBF for many, many years, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting our programs and burn survivor community.

A huge thank you to Ben Blankenship and his entire team for their continued support throughout the years. We are so grateful to have you as part of the AARBF family. Congratulations on another amazing and successful event.

We also want to give a special thank you to Mee Mee and her daughters, Carmilla and Anastasia, for spending the day at our booth and continuing to show up and support their community. We are so grateful to have you representing AARBF.

On Friday, August 21st, Associate Director, Katrina Arthur, attended the National Night Out event hosted by the Kerman Police Department. Families enjoyed music, local food, and showing off their Stop, Drop & Roll skills, and burn and fire prevention knowledge. AARBF appreciates the opportunity to be out in the community working to keep families safe. Be sure to follow our social media to see where our staff and volunteers will be next. 

Neha began volunteering with AARBF in January, and her desire to help has been so incredible that she has remained consistently dedicated ever since.

This year, Neha played a key role in recruitment and registration efforts for our Champ Camp— guiding prospective campers and their families through the process so more children could join our special annual event. In addition, Neha led data analysis for the Firefighters in Safety Education (FISE) program, comparing students’ pre‑ and post‑session scores to better understand how the program strengthens fire safety learning. Her work helped demonstrate FISE’s positive impact and will support AARBF as we expand this vital education program to more schools across the state.

Neha, your care, thoughtfulness, and dedication are helping open doors for campers, build safer communities, and extend the reach of programs that truly make a difference. We are grateful for all you bring to AARBF.

We are excited to launch a brand‑new Youth Peer Support Group this April — created just for teen burn survivors who want a safe place to connect, share, and grow together.

This group will offer a supportive, empowering space where teens can: share feelings and experiences in a confidential, judgment‑free environment, build friendships with peers who truly understand, strengthen coping skills, confidence, and self‑advocacy, explore leadership opportunities within AARBF, and get an inside look at our teen programs through stories, activities, and alumni guests.

Whether you or your loved one have been to any of our teen activities before or you are thinking about joining for the first time, this group is a great way to connect with community, build resilience, and discover new opportunities.

Open to burn survivors ages 14–17 — including teens transitioning from pediatric to adolescent care, past participants, future participants, and anyone seeking peer support and mentorship.

More details coming soon — we can’t wait to welcome you!

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 55 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.