August 2019 Burn Bulletin

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August 2019 Burn Bulletin

Fun in the Great Outdoors!

The 2019 Outdoor Trip celebrated 15 incredible years of rock climbing, paddle boarding, kayaking and outdoor fun over the weekend of July 26 – 28, 2019. This year, 27 young burn survivors got the opportunity to experience the great outdoors at Lake Alpine and Calaveras Big Tree State Park.

“The best part of the Outdoor Trip is meeting new people and trying new things. I like being able to learn about other burn survivors on the trip,” said one of the campers. Another camper said, “I learned that, with my friends on the trip, we can help each other get through anything!” One survivor even said that, after attending this event, she’s learned to be less self-conscious.

We would like to thank the 14 volunteers that made this event possible, especially lead volunteer DeWayne “Dash” Eckert, and spending it with us making a difference in the lives of burn-injured children. We would also like to thank the following organizations whose generous donations make this trip possible: Chapel in the Pines, Calaveras County Search and Rescue, Sierra Nevada Adventure Company, Ebbett’s Pass Fire District, and Arnold’s Angels.

Staying Safe with the San Francisco Giants

The Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation was once again able join the San Francisco Giants for another great Giant’s Family Safety Night on July 18, 2019. We were one of 10 agencies/organizations promoting safety and preparedness for the thousands of baseball fans attending the evening’s game. Our Northern California Regional Manager, Scott “Scooter” Wertz, had an incredible time teaching fans to Stop, Drop and Roll right next to McCovey Cove. We were even lucky enough to have Lou Seal come by to practice with us! We are grateful to be invited back each year to educate the community on fire and burn safety, as well as, honor our law enforcement officers.

Pancakes, Firefighters and Mimosas… Oh My!

On July 28, 2019 we had the pleasure of attending the annual Alameda Firefighters Pancake Breakfast at Fire Station 1 in beautiful downtown Alameda. Every year the Alameda Firefighters host this event alongside a wonderful Art and Wine Festival. Community members have the chance to fill up on some delicious pancakes, learn about AARBF and fire and burn safety, and then head out to the fair to see all the wonderful vendors and games! The Alameda Firefighters even had a booth at the fair selling mimosas. All proceeds of the donations made at the pancake breakfast go to the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation and we are so honored that they choose us year after year.

Burn Survivor Women’s Weekend

The weekend of July 12 – 14, 2019 was truly amazing with a group of bold, beautiful and brilliant burn survivor women in Felton, CA! During this retreat, AARBF brought together female burn survivors to begin planning a Female Burn Survivor Program for the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation. A special thanks to Dr. Ruth Rimmer and Cindy Rutter for facilitating this inspiring and thought-provoking weekend. We would also like to thank Care Plans for Life, LLC. for sponsoring the event and all of the amazing women who attended! Want to learn more? Stay tuned…

Go Sparks!

On July 7, 2019, 35 guests, including five burn survivors and their families, attended the LA Sparks vs. the Washington Mystics game at the Staples Center. We had such a fun time cheering for the LA Sparks on to victory! It was a great game and we would like to thank the Los Angeles Sparks Community Partner Program for generously donating so many tickets and making this fun day possible.

Wine Country BB1
Wine Country BB2

Wine Country to the Rescue

On July 20, 2019 we were so honored to be able to come back and support a truly awe inspiring annual fundraiser, Wine Country to the Rescue. This event is located in the beautiful Trentadue Winery and included live entertainment, an amazing fire works show, delicious food and the most incredible auction items! Auction items included a skydiving adventure, a chef-prepared meal for 15 and an entire 72 bottle collection of award winning wine!
This event brought out many Sonoma County community members, firefighters and even State Senator, Mike McGuire, as the Auctioneer. This event was created to support the Northern Sonoma County Fire Departments and last year this they generously donated $30,000 to support the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation. The event was so fun and for such an amazing cause, we had to come back out this year and support!

Safe Kids PrevCon Conference

July 17 – 19, 2019, our Assistant Director, Daniel “Apollo” Chacon attended the Safe Kids Conference: PrevCon in Washington DC. Over 300 prevention professional attended this years topic with a variety of topics covered in unintentional injury prevention for children. Daniel was asked to present as a part of a panel titled: Adapting Programs to Address Community Need. During this presentation, he referenced our Fire Fighters in Safety Education (FISE) Program and our abstract on Urban City Burn Prevention Education Program Effective in Rural Communities. The conference was a huge success and we look forward to attending again in 2021.

La Habra Heights Golf Tournament

On July 15, 2019 we enjoyed a beautiful day out on the golf course at the La Habra Heights Firefighters Golf Tournament. La Habra Heights is a volunteer fire department and the tournament took place to help raise money to purchase new equipment. They had 120 golfers at the beautiful Hacienda Golf Club. This fire department is one of the few remaining volunteer agencies located in Los Angeles County and they rely heavily on grants and donations. Our Operations Manager, Jan “Tabby” Share attended to support the firefighters and inform them on what the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation does in their community with burn prevention education and burn survivor programs and services.

September Hot List!

Volunteer Opportunities:

Northern California Volunteer Opportunities

  •  Please contact Scott “Scooter” Wertz at swertz@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 x19 if you have interest in any of the following:
    • Each year, AARBF partners with the San Francisco Fire Department to educate thousands of kids in fire and burn prevention. This program also entails pre- and post- tests to track learning. We need help pairing students’ pre- and post- tests and scanning them so that they can be graded by a computer program and analyzed by a statistician.
    • General office administrative tasks such as printing, filing, mailings, data entry, organization, etc.
  • Please contact Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 x17 if you have interest in any of the following:
    • Do you enjoy data management, input and/or making calls to our amazing volunteers and community partners? We are in need of a volunteer to assist us in staying up to date with contact information for volunteers, donors, and community partners (such as fire departments).

Central California Volunteer Opportunities

  • Please contact Erika “Kika” Corona-Mendoza at ecorona@aarbf.org or 559-621-4016 if you have interest in volunteering for the following:
    • We are always looking for volunteers to help spread burn prevention education in their local community at outreach events.

Southern California Volunteer Opportunities

  • Please contact Margarita “Cubby” Rodriguez at mrodriguez@aarbf.org or 818-848-0223 x16 if you have interest in any of the following:
    • We are always looking for volunteers to help spread burn prevention education in their local community at outreach events!
  •  Please contact Jan “Tabby” Share at jshare@aarbf.org or 818-848-0223 if you have interest in any of the following:
    • We have an opportunity to assist as a volunteer in our Pasadena office with administrative duties such as filing.

Upcoming Events:

• August 31 – September 2: The Getaway, contact Margarita “Cubby” Rodriguez at mrodriguez@aarbf.org or 818-848-0223 Ext. 16 with any questions.
• September 1 SoCal Survivors Support Group canceled due to The Getaway Burn Survivor Camp.

• September 1 SoCal Grupo de Apoyo en Espanol canceled due to The Getaway Burn Survivor Camp.

• September 3: (7:00pm – 8:30pm), Santa Clara Valley Medical Support Group, contact Scott “Scooter” Wertz at swertz@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 x19 with any questions.

• September 4: (6:30pm – 8:00pm), East Bay Burn Support Group, contact Scott “Scooter” Wertz at swertz@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 x19 with any questions.

• September 6: Nor Cal Fire Prevention Officers Golf Tournament, contact Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 Ext. 17 with any questions.

• September 7: Sprinkler Fitters Local 483 Golf Tournament, contact Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 Ext. 17 with any questions.

• September 8: Alisa Ann’s Birthday

• September 10: (6:30pm – 7:30pm), Central California Burn Survivor Support Group, contact Erika “Kika” Corona-Mendoza at ecorona@aarbf.org or 559-621-4016 with any questions.

• September 11: (6:30pm – 8:00pm), Santa Rosa Support Group, contact Scott “Scooter” Wertz at swertz@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 x19 with any questions.

• September 12: (6:00pm – 7:30pm), Modesto Support Group, contact Erika “Kika” Corona-Mendoza at ecorona@aarbf.org or 559-621-4016 with any questions.

• September 19: (7:00pm – 8:30pm), Online Video Burn Survivor Support Group, contact Daniel “Apollo” Chacon at 415-495-7223 x 18 or dchacon@aarbf.org with any questions or to RSVP.

• September 20: South San Francisco Firefighters Local 1507 Bocce Ball Tournament, contact Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 Ext. 17 with any questions.

• September 20-22: Central Coast Beach Adventure, contact Erika “Kika” Corona-Mendoza at ecorona@aarbf.org or 559-621-4016 with any questions.

• September 23: AARBF Southern California Golf Tournament, contact Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 Ext. 17 with any questions.

• September 26: (11:30am – 1:00pm), Saint Francis Hospital Burn Support Group, contact Scott “Scooter” Wertz at swertz@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 x19 with any questions.

• September 28: Mountain View Firefighters Random Acts Pancake Breakfast, contact Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 Ext. 17 with any questions.

• September 30: Hayward Firefighters Local 1909 Golf Tournament, contact Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 Ext. 17 with any questions.

If you missed any of our past Burn Bulletins, please check out our archives.

Just a reminder to go to www.aarbf.org; click on Upcoming Events, for the latest AARBF events and activities that need your support.