Burn Bulletin

Back by popular demand, please join us for another All Champ Camp Counselor Reunion.

Date:  Saturday August 16, 2025
Time:   2pm-8pm
Location:  Mike “Colonel” Sanders House at 13595 Sycamore Dr. Morgan Hill CA 95037//408-892-0902         
Cost:  $20 per person, spouses and kids are invited – BY 8/5 to Beanie via VENMO@Sandra-Smith-72 or Zelle 650-438-9173
Food: Hamburgers and hot dogs, water and some soft drinks will be provided.

If you plan on attending, please bring some other kinds of food to share with the group.  (Your choice- appetizer, casserole, salad, dessert, or anything else you might want to share with the group).

Theme: “40 Years!” (Sticking with this year’s camp theme and another reason to celebrate each & every one of you!)

Plan on there being group skits, songs, and several other surprises throughout the event. Please wear an old Champ Camp shirt.

There are several hotels in the area if you want to stay in town.

(Colonel has about 8 acres of flat ground if you wish to bring a trailer, motorhome or whatever you want to sleep in. He does not have power, water or dumping facilities.)

 We are in need of several volunteers for this event.  If you would like to help, let us know.

  *  Set Up tables and chairs (Saturday noon)

  *  1-2 Volunteers to BBQ

  *  Sign in with name tags

  *  Clean up

  *  Donations of plates, forks, napkins, ice, condiments

  *   Activity Games Coordinator

RSVP BY August 5th along with your current contact phone and email info.

Questions?  Contact Colonel 408-892-0902, 2c60ms@gmail.com or Beanie 650-438-9173, SandraEZsmith@gmail.com

If you have contact with any past counselors, please feel free to pass this information to us.

Time is running out to apply for the Woody and Louise Reed Bridge to Life Scholarship. This incredible program, made possible by the Reed family, awards scholarships to burn survivors or their immediate family members seeking post-secondary education after high school. This can be a community college, college, university, or trade school, and is open to all ages, going directly into or returning to education.

Apply today at: https://forms.gle/pjkdLejUMfefvXsbA

For questions, please contact us at info@aarbf.org.

On Saturday, March 8, 2025, Torrance Firefighters hosted their annual spaghetti dinner. It is so uplifting to see the Torrance community coming together to participate in this family-friendly event. We were delighted to have staff from the Torrance Memorial Burn Unit join us as we greeted and spoke with guests. We are thankful for the over 50 years of support we have received from the Torrance Firefighters and the Torrance Firefighters Women’s Association. The dinner as always was delicious and the bake sale items were scrumptious. If you get the chance, please give a huge thank you to the Torrance Firefighters for their continued support of our burn survivor programs and mission.

Our annual California Statewide Ski Trip 2025, took place March 7-9th. With 37 burn survivors and 19 counselors/staff, a total of 56 of us enjoyed an amazing snow-filled weekend at the Bear Valley ski resort!

Our group enjoyed a sunny day out on the slopes learning how to snowboard and ski. Later on in the day we also had the opportunity to enjoy snowmobiling in town. Thank you to our amazing CIT’s Fireball and Freebird for assisting our group for this weekend event. Another thank you to our survivors for being a part of this trip, we hope you had an amazing time. An extra thank you to our volunteers who drove our campers to and from and ensured their safety throughout the weekend; Jackrabbit, Hydra, Chop Suey, Kappa, Ricky Rescue, Cannonball, Lentil, Domino, Sinker, Princess, Buc, Pinecone, Skipper, Tokyo, Mee Mee, Rascal, Mougly, Alpine and Kika.

This trip would not have been possible without the amazing leadership of our very own Jack Rabbit and the support from Angel Flight West, Stockton Fire, Murphys Fire, Ebbetts Pass Fire, Arnold Angels, Bear Valley Mountain Resort, Bear Valley Snowmobiles, Bear Valley Public Safety, Gold Country Roasters, and Manteca Fire. Thank you all for making this weekend so special.

On March 19th, AARBF’s Erika “Kika” Mendoza and Michael “Buddy” Knopf had a wonderful opportunity to present information about burn camps alongside Joe Pick and Valorie Smart from the Fire Fighters Burn Institute (FFBI) at Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California. Our presentations aimed to provide the Shriner’s staff with valuable insights regarding burn camps. We want the staff to feel confident when referring their patients to the programs offered by both of our organizations.

There are many burn camps, retreats, and weekend events available for burn survivors, and the more awareness we create, the more survivors we can reach and support.

We are grateful to share a common mission: to provide a safe environment for burn survivors to try new activities and become part of a larger, united burn community that supports their recovery. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Shriners and continuing to grow our collaboration with the truly remarkable organization, FFBI.

On Wednesday, March 19th, the California Fire Chiefs Association hosted AARBF’s Katrina Arthur and volunteers Chop Suey and Hydra at their 28th Annual Training Symposium Dinner and Corn Hole Tournament. While at the event, our AARBF representatives shared the mission and work of the foundation as well as helped to raise a record breaking $7,000 for prevention education and sending youth burn survivors to Champ Camp. The Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation gives a warm thank you to the Cal Fire Chiefs Association and the Fresno Fire Department for inviting us to the 2025 Fire Symposium and for their continued support. 

On March 22nd, we had a fantastic day on our Monterey Bay Aquarium Under 5 Trip, bringing together five burn survivors and their family members. The beautiful weather made it even more enjoyable spending time with the Monterey Fire Department, where the Monterey Firefighters Local 3707 and the Monterey Firefighter Foundation hosted our group and provided us with a delicious lunch.

Poppy, our wonderful Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS), facilitated a supportive group for parents and caregivers while the kids played outside with volunteers. Afterward, we all headed to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where our families explored and learned about marine life, thanks to the Aquarium’s free-to-learn program. We so enjoyed having these wonderful families spend the day with us.

A trip such as this would not be possible without our amazing volunteers: Poppy, Daffodil, Lil Bear, Gidget, Kamikaze, Chipmunk, Mee Mee, Flaca, Karina, Matt, Cartier, and Alex. You made the day unforgettable for our survivors and their families.

Sunday, March 22nd, was the perfect day to enjoy the green grass, blue skies, and exciting activities at the Wonder Valley Ranch Resort’s Family Day. For more than three decades, the Wonder Valley family has supported AARBF and been the home to Champ Camp. Over 700 people from across the central valley visited the Ranch to ride horses, climb the rock wall, canoe on the lake, and help raise $4,500 for Champ Camp’s 40th year.  Thank you to the Wonder Valley Ranch team for putting on a great event. We are looking forward to seeing you at Champ Camp in June.

From Thursday, March 27th, to Sunday, March 30th, we gathered in beautiful Oakhurst for a truly transformative Women’s Empowerment Weekend. It was an incredible weekend of strength, resilience, and empowerment.

This event was attended by fourteen amazing burn survivor women and led by six dedicated staff and volunteers, all coming together to inspire, heal, and uplift one another. We are deeply thankful to our leads—Cindy, Wendy, Dr. Ruth, Jill, Hydra, and Kika—for creating such amazing and powerful workshops for us to share together. Your passion and commitment made this experience unforgettable. A special thank you to our Facilitators in Training, Skittles and Quincy, for dedicating your time and stepping up to take on more leadership roles in this event. Your dedication and growth are truly inspiring.

Throughout the weekend, we had the privilege of engaging in powerful workshops like Masquerading Through Life, Body Image, Mirror Work, Dancing, and so much more! These sessions allowed us to reflect, grow, and embrace the beauty of our journeys.

We are grateful for this unforgettable experience and for every woman who shared her strength with us.