Yoga for Central Valley Burn Survivors has continued on for it’s second month in a row! On August 18, 2019, Scott “Poindexter” Mellon led two survivors and one friend in an amazing hour of relaxing yoga and meditation. We are so thankful that Old Town Yoga donated their space and props for this event to take place. We are also so grateful for Scott, who takes time out of his busy schedule to provide this therapeutic time for our burn survivors in the Central Valley. Our next Yoga for Central Valley Burn Survivors session will take place Saturday, September 14, 2019 at 3pm at Old Town Yoga in Clovis, CA. If you are interested in attending, please contact Erika “Kika” Mendoza at 559-621-4016 or emendoza@aarbf.org.

On August 10, 2019 we had the pleasure of attending the 24th Annual Car Crazy Promotions Car Show and BBQ. This event showcased hundreds of gorgeous, classic vehicles spread out over a massive parking lot in San Mateo, CA. We also enjoyed an absolutely delicious tri-tip and chicken barbecue lunch. We feel incredibly honored that this group of amazing car enthusiasts chooses to support AARBF year after year.

Carl Asaro and the late, Don Ciucci, ensured that every year at Champ Camp, all of the campers and camp counselors receive a delicious and cooling Jamba Juice, which is incredibly welcomed on those delightfully warm June days in Sanger, CA. We miss Don every day but on this day, his absence was especially felt. We are so grateful to the entire Car Crazy Promotions team for continuing to support Champ Camp in Don’s memory and we look forward to Jamba Juice day at camp this next year!

We are incredibly grateful to Race Time Services and Ben Blankenship for continuing to support AARBF and Champ Camp with the annual Hell of a Half Marathon run in Exeter, CA. On August 17, 2019, hundreds of runners ran 13.1 miles and afterwards enjoyed snacks, compression stations, and beers in the beer garden. It was a beautiful morning and we are honored to not only have the opportunity to attend, but to also be the recipients of the funds raised. We can’t wait for next year!

On August 1, 2019, 25 guests, including five burn survivors and their families, attended the LA Sparks vs. the Las Vegas 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.

The Alisa Ann’s 57th Birthday Virtual Run/Walk is underway and our runners, walkers, and bikers are getting their miles logged in in a big way! Between September 1 to September 30, participants will be raising funds and logging miles in memory of Alisa Ann Ruch. At age eight, Alisa Ann was fatally injured in a backyard barbecue accident in Southern California. Bravely using their tragedy as a catalyst for change, Alisa Ann’s parents, local firefighters and medical professionals joined together and created AARBF in 1971 with the goal of preventing burn injuries by teaching “Stop, Drop, and Roll.”

If you are a participant, don’t forget to share your progress with your friends, family members, and co-workers to encourage them to donate to your goal. Go to http://www.charityfootprints.com/aarbf to check out all our participants’ progress or to donate… we’ve got until September 30th to raise $5,700 & run/walk/bike 570 miles and we are off to an excellent start!

Also, please don’t forget to share your pictures and videos by using the hashtag #runforalisaann and emailing them to our Development Manager, Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org. We want to see YOU!

Are you looking for a way to make a big difference to further help the Alisa Ann Burn Foundation? If you are 70½ or older you may also be interested in a way to lower the income and taxes from your IRA withdrawals. An IRA charitable rollover is one way you can help us continue our work and benefit yourself as well this year.

               IRA                               Alisa Ann Burn Foundation

 

Benefits of an IRA charitable rollover
• Avoid taxes on transfers of up to $100,000 from your IRA to AARBF
• Satisfy your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year
• Reduce your taxable income, even if you do not itemize deductions
• Make a gift that is not subject to the deduction limits on charitable gifts
• Help further the work and mission of the Foundation

How an IRA charitable rollover gift works
1. Contact your IRA plan administrator to make a gift from your IRA to the AARBF.
2. Your IRA funds will be directly transferred to our organization to help continue our important work.
3. Please note that IRA charitable rollover gifts do not qualify for a charitable deduction.
4. Please contact us if you wish for your gift to be used for a specific purpose.

Contact us
If you have any questions about an IRA charitable rollover gift, please contact us at info@aarbf.org. We would be happy to assist you and answer any questions you might have.

The Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation is seeking qualified individuals to serve on the Board of Directors and Council of Advisors. Board Members will be elected for their knowledge, experience and/or professional networks that are deemed important for Board decision making, Committees or other Board business. Council Members generally require less time commitment and can tailor their committee work and volunteer actions to their specific interests and passions for the foundation’s mission. Areas of expertise desired, for both roles, include, but are not limited to: burn survivors, legal background, fire service, burn-related medical staff or administrators, marketing, fundraising, public relations, finance, development, management, and education/prevention. Standing and ad hoc committees and areas of interest for both bodies include: Survivor Programs, Prevention and Education, Development and Fundraising, Communications, and more. Applications are due by September 30, 2019.

Board of Directors Application: https://aarbf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Board-of-Directors-Application-Form.pdf

Council of Advisors Application: https://aarbf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Council-of-Advisors-App.pdf

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:

• October 1: (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.

• October 2 – 5: The Phoenix Society’s World Burn Congress in Anaheim, CA.

• October 6: (1:30pm – 3:30pm), SoCal Survivors Support Group, contact Margarita “Cubby” Rodriguez at mrodriguez@aarbf.org or 818-848-0223 Ext. 16 with any questions.

• October 6 – 12: National Fire Prevention Week

• October 8: (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.

• October 9: (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.

• October 9: (6:30pm – 8:00pm), Santa Rosa Support Group, contact Scott “Scooter” Wertz at swertz@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 x19 with any questions.

• October 10: (6:00pm – 7:30pm), Modesto Support Group, contact Erika “Kika” Corona-Mendoza at ecorona@aarbf.org or 559-621-4016 with any questions.

• October 10: Central Coast Fire Chief’s Burn Relay, contact Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 Ext. 17 with any questions.

• October 12: Sunnyvale DPS Pancake Breakfast, contact Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 Ext. 17 with any questions.

• October 12: Menlo Park Firefighters Pancake Breakfast, contact Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 Ext. 17 with any questions.

• October 12: Albany Firefighters Pancake Breakfast, contact Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 Ext. 17 with any questions.

• October 17: (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.

• October 24: Peninsula Firefighter’s Burn Relay, contact Stephanie “Pocahontas” Boydell at sboydell@aarbf.org or 415-495-7223 Ext. 17 with any questions.

• October 31: (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. Costumes are optional and encouraged!