The Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation’s mission is to significantly reduce the number of burn injuries through prevention education, and to enhance the quality of life of those affected by burn injuries in California.
AARBF’s burn survivor services programs engage them in a community of peers and support networks to help build confidence and provide social opportunities, connects them with resources for coping with their injuries, and supports burn survivors’ immediate basic human needs. Currently, AARBF has six survivor services programs (Champ Camp, Young Adult Summit, The Getaway Family Camp, School Re-entry Program, in-hospital support, and support groups), and two comprehensive prevention programs (Firefighters in Safety Education and Community Outreach).
In-Hospital Support
AARBF provides in-hospital support for burn survivors at every stage of their recovery, from when they first enter the burn unit to years later. Survivor services coordinator, Bonita Gomez works with nurses, social workers, physical therapists and other hospital staff to assess burn survivors for their support needs through regular visits, support groups, and follow up. In some situations survivors require peer support, such as meeting another burn survivor who experienced a similar injury. Other survivors require financial support and, most frequently, they need both. Many burn survivors must travel far from their homes to these burn units for treatment. To ensure they receive the treatment they need and basic human needs during recovery, AARBF provides grocery and gas cards, taxi vouchers or bus passes and hotel stays for survivors and their loved ones.
Once burn survivors have left the burn unit, they have just begun their journey to physical and emotional recovery. In order to continue supporting survivors as they re-enter a society concerned with physical appearance, AARBF provides monthly staff/volunteer-run support groups and one-on-one peer support from well-adjusted, trained burn survivors.
Champ Camp and Other Survivor Events
Engaging burn survivors in multiple AARBF programs, assisting them to become self-sufficient, and keeping them involved in a supportive community, possibly becoming peer supporters themselves, exhibits the benefits of AARBF’s survivor services programs. AARBF’s burn survivor services programs function as a year-round, multi-faceted plan to provide a 360º approach to aiding burn survivors in their journeys to healing from within.
AARBF organizes three annual camp programs specifically designed for youth, young adults, and adult burn survivors. Champ Camp is the largest burn camp in the nation for burn survivors ages 5-16. For burn survivors ages 16-21, AARBF hosts the Young Adult Summit, a weekend retreat for older youth that empowers them to fulfill their potential as they transition into adulthood and become independent. The Getaway is a family camp weekend for adult burn survivors and their families, where they can connect with peers who understand their situations and receive emotional support in a fun and safe environment. AARBF also offers six regional trips, including the Central California ski and surf trips, for children ages 5 to 16, for year-round peer social interaction.
The Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation’s mission is to significantly reduce the number of burn injuries through prevention education, and to enhance the quality of life of those affected by burn injuries in California.
