Jeanne Terwilliger

On October 4th, Badfish Beer hosted their 2nd annual Beerfest to raise funds for AARBF and Champ Camp. Their one-day evening event raised enough money to send fourteen kids to Champ Camp in 2026 (that is two more children than last year). Thank you to Edward Bird of Badfish for your continued passion and support.

AARBF once again partnered with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and sent one camper and one counselor to their annual camp in Edgewater, MD, September 27th – October 4th.

IAFF’s prestigious program brings together fire fighters, medical professionals, and young burn survivors from across the United States and Canada. Our camper joined campers from 49 other burn camps to participate in a week of educational, leadership, and team-building activities. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for survivors to connect with peers, build confidence, and represent their community on a national stage.

The program includes guided tours of historic sites in Washington, D.C., visits to Smithsonian museums, a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, and a tour of the U.S. Naval Academy. These experiences are designed to foster resilience, leadership, and civic engagement among participants.

During Fire Prevention Week, October 5-11, AARBF teamed up with NFPA to promote this year’s theme, “Charge Into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home.” Through a series of social media posts, we encouraged our followers to help us spread the word about making smart choices when it comes to buying, charging, and recycling lithium-ion batteries—because the wrong move can lead to a fire.

One of our favorite Fire Prevention Week activities is the annual Central Coast Burn Relay. The Relay consists of two routes. The North route kicked off at the San Miguel Fire Station at 7:40 am stopped at six elementary schools north of Cuesta Grade. The South route kicked off at CAL Fire San Luis County Fire Department Station 70 at 8:00 am and stopped at seven local elementary schools. Each stop included a check presentation to recognize the contributions made by each Fire Department and school as well as a prevention education presentation with their corresponding fire department and AARBF representative. The event ended with a grand finale at the SLO Farmer’s Market for Fire Prevention Night, where participating fire departments, local burn survivors, and AARBF staff gave a short presentation.

This year’s participating Fire Departments in the relay procession included San Miguel, Paso Robles, Templeton, Atascadero, Santa Margarita, CAL Fire SLO County, and Five Cities Fire Department. The North route enjoyed lunch with Santa Margarita Elementary, and the South route enjoyed lunch with St. Patrick School. During these lunch breaks, firefighters were able to spend quality time with the students, engage in outdoor games and answer students’ questions. 

This relay is unique because it reaches thirteen elementary schools, totaling close to 4,500 students. The firefighters make prevention education fun and relatable to the students.

During the month of October, AARBF staff and volunteers attended several Firefighter Pancake Breakfasts and Open Houses, many of which donated their proceeds to the foundation.

Saturday, October 4th, Katrina joined the Paso Robles Fire Department for a morning of fire and burn prevention education. The PRFD opened the doors to almost 300 residents to learn about AARBF’s Stop, Drop & Roll, High 5 a Firefighter, meet a first responder therapy Dog, and enjoy some live demonstrations of the jaws of life and a structure fire.

Also on October 4th, Lea “Kamikaze” Elder was at the Mountain View Firefighters pancake breakfast where attendees were able to interact with the firefighters as they toured the station and learn about the various equipment in use. In addition, they raffled off a custom-painted 72V Vintage Electric Bike, styled to match their brand-new fire apparatus fleet.

On October 11th, the Albany Fire Department pancake breakfast and open house reached approximately 1,000 people in their community with Michael handing out 600 prevention education materials. Attendees were able to see the different equipment used within the fire station.

Across the bay in San Mateo, Dave “Shakespeare” Miller, AARBF Board President attend one of our largest fire prevention events of the season. The open house welcomes 3,500 community members to visit station 28 to watch live demonstrations of vehicle extrications, fire extinguishers drills, and learn how to make their community safer. AARBF joined in the fun sharing Stop, Drop & Roll as well as our FISE lessons to kids and families.

Also on October 11th, Lea “Kamikaze” Elder was at the Sunnyvale DPS Firefighters pancake breakfast where they fed about 750 attendees, some of whom took turns honing their Stop, Drop & Roll skills.

October 11th was a busy day for AARBF, Erika joined the Coalinga Fire Department for their annual open house, sharing burn and fire prevention with this central valley community. Station tours, equipment demonstrations, and Stop, Drop & Roll were the highlights of the day.

On October 12th, Katrina joined the Hanford Fire Department for their annual open house and safety fair. Families learned about fire alarms, how to create an escape plan, and cheered Sparky on as he showed off his Stop, Drop & Roll technique. More than 300 families attended the event, taking stickers, fire helmets, and some delicious, sweet treats.

We ended the month at the Menlo Park Fire pancake breakfast on October 25th, hosted by Junior League Palo Alto MP in partnership with Menlo Park Fire. AARBF Council members, Natalie and Susan taught Stop, Drop & Roll while attendees enjoyed a morning filled with fun family activities, seeing the fire equipment, and even a silent auction.

AARBF is proud to partner with local our fire departments to provide burn and fire prevention education.

During October, AARBFs Katrina Arthur and council member Alison Clark worked with our partners at Pyramid Education Consultants to create and publish the newest addition to the N.I.C.K. (Neurotypical/diverse Independent Communication Kit) for Fire and Burn Safety Program. “Toys vs Tools” joins the lessons of “Stop, Drop & Roll”, “Cool-a-Burn” and “Get Low and Go” in bringing burn and fire safety to the autism and neurodiverse communities. Together with Dr Andy Bondy and Lori Frost, they presented “Toys vs Tools” in a webinar of education professionals and autism community advocates.

On Saturday, October 25th, AARBF was honored to be the recipient of the first annual Beers for Burns – Denver. Hosted by Ratio Brewery, the event was created by one of our dedicated volunteers, Lane, aka Carrot Sticks.  She, along with her community of supporters, gathered together for an afternoon of live music, raffles, and a silent auction. Together, they raised $10,263 in support of the AARBF Camps and Recreation programs. We are proud to recognize the amazing work of Carrot Sticks and are thankful for her dedication to the programs she volunteers for. 

On October 29th, Care Manager, Michael Knopf had the immense pleasure of visiting three of our fire partners for the East Bay Firefighters Relay.  Michael stopped by Albany Fire, Berkeley Fire, and Oakland Fire to recognize them for their incredible donations and continued support of AARBF made possible by Albany Fire Local 5130, Berkeley Fire Random Acts, and Oakland Fire IAFF Local 55. 

A huge thank you to these departments for their generosity and for helping us to keep supporting burn survivors and promoting fire safety throughout our communities.  

From November 1-30, we have two generous supporters pledging to match funds up to $2,000! That means every dollar you donate will be doubled until we reach the pledged amount.

Please click here to make your gift today!