October 2024 Burn Bulletin
Honoring Heroes by Sending a Child to Camp
The Paso Robles Firefighters Association hosted their annual 9/11 stair climb event this year on Saturday, September 14th. This year’s event was opened up to the local community and they had close to 60 people in attendance who climbed the equivalent of 110 stories at the Paso Robles Event Center. The 9/11 stair climb pays tribute to those heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice on that fateful day. This year, Paso Robles Firefighters found it truly special to engage with their local community members who walked side by side sharing this experience.
“This is our second annual 9/11 stair climb here in Paso Robles, put on by the Paso Robles Fire Association and assisted by the San Miguel Fire Association,” said Dustin Virgil, a firefighter paramedic for the City of Paso Robles Fire Department and the event organizer. “This year we are excited as we’ve opened it up to the public. Here we are 23 years later, still honoring them.”
The 9/11 stair climb event was also an opportunity for the Paso Robles Firefighters Association to raise funds for AARBF and Champ Camp. Their event will sponsor a child to attend our 40th Champ Camp being held in June of 2025.
AARBF Dinner & Dance Raises $51,000
The 14th Annual Dinner & Dance was a huge success – raising $51,000 for AARBF and Champ Camp in a single night. Our Central Valley Community gathered at the newly renovated Clovis Rodeo Grounds for an evening filled with good food, Valley Famous Cressman’s Cookies, a Silent Auction, and an exciting Live Auction. Volunteers from Clovis North Baseball, Girls Basketball, Fresno Fire Explorers, and the Fresno City College Fire Academy, Class 62 were all essential in helping set up and serve during the event. AARBF would like to thank all of our attendees and our Gold Sponsor: RMC Constructors; the Silver Sponsors: Fresno Fire Local 202, Central Valley Trailer Repair, and PolyNovo as well as our wine and beer sponsors Corner 103 and Summer Fox Brewing.
We hope to see you next year. Mark your Calendars now for November 22, 2025.
Check out all of the great photobooth photos in our Waldo photo album: https://waldo.photos/galleries/o/album/213ViE9E6wBmdGPZVGuFUNu
If you attended the Dinner & Dance, please upload your photos from this event.
Hitting the Courts for a Cause
On Friday, September 27, South San Francisco Firefighter’s Charitable Foundation hosted their 9th Annual Bocce Ball Tournament at the Orange Memorial Park Bocce Ball Courts. We had a great time. AARBF’s Daniel Chacon and volunteer Clark “Grizzy” Stern had a great time visiting with the teams and sharing information about the foundation! Proceeds from this event will benefit AARBF’s programs and services.
Champ Camp Camper Goes East
From September 28th to October 4th, AARBF had the amazing opportunity to send a teen Champ Camp camper and a counselor to attend the IAFF Burn Camp in Edgewater, MD.
This annual week-long camp, hosted by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), brings together burn survivor teens from all over the US and Canada. This year, our very own Alana and Blossom joined 40 other burn survivors and counselors for a week filled with confidence building and community bonding. They also had the chance to visit different historic sites in Washington D.C. and Annapolis.
Blossom, Alana and Alana’s mom shared their thoughts on this experience: “Being able to go to this camp and connect with people from all of the US and Canada to build new friendships and memories was truly an experience I won’t ever forget.” “We were truly honored and privileged to attend” “I am very grateful”.
A Great End to the Camp Season
The Getaway Family Camp 2024 was absolutely fantastic. We had a blast making core memories with everyone. AARBF hosted 35 families and 15 staff/volunteers at Camp Oakhurst this past Labor Day weekend, bringing the total to 164 amazing people. We are so thankful to all the families and volunteers who chose to spend their holiday weekend with us.
There were so many exciting outdoor activities like archery, swimming, giant swing, rock climbing, high ropes, support groups, kids/teens club, open mic, bingo, and dancing with families from all over California and Nevada.
Our Community Partners, Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation made it possible for Nevada families to join us for this event.
We are so appreciative for our incredible group of volunteers that made this weekend run so smoothly and fun. Thank you; Apollo, D, Buddy, Chop Suey, Moose, Kappa, Viper, Lenny, Pinecone, Figgy, Ricky Rescue, Hydra, Shred, Mee Mee, and Kika. Your hard work and dedication truly made it a weekend to remember.
It's Not Too Late to Join the Ride
This year, we are excited to announce our partnership with the SoCal Burn Ride. Join us, along with Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys for the ninth annual event which is a Texas Hold ‘Em style Poker Run happening on Saturday, October 26th, starting and ending in Thousand Oaks.
DATE: Saturday, October 26, 2024
LOCATION: Lakeside Pavillion, Conejo Creek North Park, 1379 E Janss Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
TIMES: 9AM Registration/ Opening Ceremonies
KSU: 10AM
Afterparty: 12PM
Get your Rider, Passenger and After Party tickets at: www.socalburnride.com
Golfing for a Cause
Join us for the 42nd annual SoCal Golf Tournament. This year’s event will be held on Tuesday, October 8 to the Black Gold Country Club in Yorba Linda.
Click here to register or make a donation in support of this event.
The Alameda County Firefighters are hosting their annual golf tournament at the Callippe Reserve Golf Course in Pleasanton, CA on Monday October 28th.
Click here to register.
Upcoming Events
We have a new schedule for our support groups. Please click here to see what has changed for 2024.
Or, contact us at [email protected] for more information.
Watch for information coming soon about our holiday parties!
Volunteer Opportunties:
Please check with your regional office for more information on upcoming volunteer opportunities.
For Northern California, please contact Scott “Scooter” Wertz at [email protected] or 415-495-7223 Ext. 19
For Central California, please contact McKenzie “Bubbles” Dern at [email protected] or 559-286-0710 Ext. 15
For Southern California, please contact Margarita “Cubby” Rodriguez at [email protected] or 818-848-0223 Ext. 16
Upcoming Events:
We have a new schedule for our support groups. Please click here to see what has changed for 2024.
Or, contact us at [email protected] for more information.
Watch for information coming soon about our holiday parties!
If you missed any of our past Burn Bulletins, please check out our archives.