Jeanne Terwilliger

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!

AARBF is excited to welcome Old State Bourbon to the 15th Annual Dinner & Dance for an exclusive tasting for all attendees. Join us for Cocktail Hour as the doors open from 5-6 pm to sample their offerings. Enter to win a Gift Basket of the tasting menu and custom Old State swag. Raffle tickets will be available at check-in and throughout the night. 

Event Tickets and Sponsorships are available by clicking here. Tickets are pre-order only and will NOT be available at the door.

We are also still looking for donations of delicious desserts and unique experiences, products, and services, to be auctioned off during the event. All proceeds from the silent and live auctions will help provide burn prevention education and support burn survivors attending camps, retreats, and getaways in the coming year. (Donations to AARBF are tax-deductible.)

Join us on November 20th, for our monthly What Now Workshop. This month’s topic is “Managing Depression During the Holidays” and will be presented by AARBF’s Martha Banks. We know the holiday season can be challenging, let us help you through it.

Remember – our monthly workshop is open to everyone.

Click here to register today.

Register today for a holiday party near you! Join us in Clovis, Los Angeles, San Jose, or San Francisco.

Saturday, December 6th – Clovis

Sunday, December 7th – Los Angeles

Saturday, December 13th – San Francisco

Sunday, December 14th – San Jose

Please visit our calendar and click on the holiday party of your choice to register.