Burn Bulletin

Please join us in congratulating Martha Banks on her recent promotion to Survivor Services Care Manager Lead! Within her expanded role, Martha will oversee the collaboration of the Survivor Services Team as well as the formulation and management of processes utilized by the care managers. She will continue to work with our Southern California partner hospitals, provide direct survivor support, and engage in regional fundraising and prevention events. Collaboration and partnerships are important to Martha and this expanded role will allow her to engage even more in relationship building, not only in Southern California but throughout the state.

Tickets are on sale NOW for the 16th Annual Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation Dinner & Dance on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the Clovis Rodeo Grounds.

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

If you are a local business and would like to sponsor a table or donate an item to our Silent or Live Auction, please get in touch with Katrina at karthur@aarbf.org or call 559-286-0710 ext 110.

From July 31st through August 2nd, we spent an amazing weekend together in the Murphys and Arnold area for our Outdoor Trip. The weekend gave us so much time to reconnect, catch up, play games, learn some new dance moves, and just enjoy being together.

On Saturday we spent most of our day at Lake Alpine, and it really was the perfect day. We paddle boarded, kayaked, swam, fished, built forts, and spent plenty of time soaking up the sun and enjoying the lake together.

After the lake, we headed to a nearby field for burgers and even more fun. We played everything from 9 Square in the Air with the sprinkler going, to soccer and football. We caught some sun rays, took breaks when we needed them, and just enjoyed being outside together.

That evening, we headed to Arnold where the amazing Moose Lodge group welcomed us for a spaghetti dinner. We are always so grateful for the groups who help make these weekends so special for our survivors.

We wrapped up the weekend Sunday morning with the Arnold Fire Department and Arnold’s Angels. We enjoyed pancakes together before gathering for circle time and sharing our favorite highlights from the weekend. It was the perfect way to end a weekend full of laughter, adventure, connection, and so many great memories together.

A HUGE thank you to our new Event Lead, Mee Mee, for ensuring this trip continues be a part of our regular programming. We are also so grateful for all of our amazing counselors who dedicated their time, energy, and entire weekend to being there with our survivors. These weekends would not be possible without all of you, and we appreciate everything you do to help create these memories with us.

Collaboration within the burn community is essential, not only for our amazing foundation AARBF, but for other incredible organizations like Children’s Burn Foundation (CBF).  We were grateful for the opportunity to support the CBF during their last Camp Gung Ho for the summer, Family Beach and Surf Day Makos Surf Camp on Saturday, August 1st, at Zuma Beach in Malibu, CA. “Volunteering at this event allowed me to meet wonderful families, engage with their passionate staff, and connect with burn survivors in a meaningful way,” stated AARBF Care Manager Lead, Martha Banks.

Strengthening partnerships with other burn organizations helps us expand healing opportunities and build a stronger network of support for survivors. Martha and AARBF were honored to be part of this shared mission. Thank you, CBF, for the amazing experience.

Susan Catalano began volunteering with AARBF by joining the Council of Advisors in 2023. AARBF needs matched her storytelling and technology skills acquired in her professional career in both Biotech and High-Tech roles at Sony, Beckton Dickenson, and Netscape Communications. In 2024, Susan leveraged professional connections pulling together a team to modernize our website, secure our donation portal, and streamline connection with Salesforce and QuickBooks.

Across a year of development and testing, Susan guided every step of the website redesign, conducting several meetings each week with both the development team and AARBF staff. After the successful launch of our new website in January of 2025, Susan turned her attention to process improvements within our Salesforce database and email marketing to help our fundraising efforts. She has also supported AARBF staff by providing guidance and improvements in many aspects of our marketing and communication.

Susan doesn’t just manage she genuinely likes to get involved. You can often find her manning the AARBF booth at fire house events in the San Jose area. Her favorite activity is teaching children how to Stop, Drop and Roll (although she claims it is getting more difficult to get up! HA!).

In addition to volunteering, Susan is also a donor and this month she is matching donations to the foundation, up to $2,000, on her personal giving page: https://givebutter.com/helpAARBF

Please help us thank Susan for all of the support she provides to the foundation! If you are able, please make a donation on her personal giving page to help us get her matching donation of $2,000!

Don’t be caught unprepared by a wildfire. We know it can be overwhelming on where to start planning. AARBF’s Wildfire P.R.E.P.A.R.E. guide organizes information, tips and guidance provided by agencies and organizations, including the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), American Red Cross, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and US Fire Administration (USFA), among many others.

Follow the 7 easy steps on how you can P.R.E.P.A.R.E. for a wildfire today. The Wildfire P.R.E.P.A.R.E. Guide is available in both English and Spanish. Download your FREE copy at www.aarbf.org/wildfirepreparedness

Follow our social media or check out our website calendar to learn about partner events taking place in your area.

September 12 – 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

September 12 – Menlo Park Fire Pancake Breakfast

September 18 – NorCal FPO Golf Tournament

September 25 – 11^th Annual Bocce Ball Tournament

October 3 – Paso Robles Fire Open House

October 10 – Albany Fire Department Pancake Breakfast

October 17 – Mountain View Fire Pancake Breakfast

November 16 – Burn Foundation Invitational Golf Tournament

Tickets are on sale NOW for the 16th Annual Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation Dinner & Dance on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the Clovis Rodeo Grounds. We are offering an Early Bird discount on our Ticket packages: Group Tables and Sponsorship Packages. These discounts will end on July 31st, so purchase your tickets today. 

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

If you are a local business and would like to sponsor a table or donate an item to our Silent or Live Auction, please get in touch with Katrina at karthur@aarbf.org or call 559-286-0710 ext 110.