BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Bakersfield Firefighters Burn Foundation is gearing up for its fifth annual 'Lite Up the Nite' fundraiser, set for Friday, May 8, with proceeds going to support local burn survivors.
Battalion Chief Chris Bowles of Bakersfield City Fire said the event has grown steadily since its launch, drawing more community involvement and raising more money each year.
"We're getting more and more community involvement, which is fantastic, and fundraising is improving with that. So it's been very good," Bowles said.
The funds raised go toward sending local burn survivors to the World Burn Congress, a weeklong national conference that Bowles said can have a profound impact on those who attend.
"This fundraiser is really to support them attending the World Burn Congress, which is a weeklong conference for burn survivors, and they say that conference can equal up to a year's worth of emotional and psychological therapy," Bowles said.
Bowles said the conference gives survivors a chance to connect with others who understand their experiences.
"It allows them to communicate, network, socialize with other burn survivors so that they are not feeling isolated, so they feel they can reach out to somebody," Bowles said.
He added that some local survivors have built lasting connections across the country through the event.
"They can network across the nation, and some of our local survivors are speaking to people on the East Coast just by attending this conference and being within our local burn survivor community," Bowles said.
The foundation also runs Champ Camp every June, sending young burn survivors to a dedicated camp. Bowles said the program has been running for 15 years, sending up to 20 campers annually, and has served close to 200 children in total.
The fundraiser comes as the Grossman Burns Center at Memorial Hospital announced it will close its doors at the end of June. Bowles said the foundation is monitoring the situation closely.
"All I know is that they are going to remain open until the end of June. And then at that time they'll be closing their doors, so they're making some plans and treating the patients and setting them up for long-term care in case that's needed," Bowles said.
Bowles said it remains unclear whether burn care services will continue at another Bakersfield location, or whether the foundation will return to its pre-2009 mission of funding patient transport to facilities in Fresno or Los Angeles.
"If that's what it reverts to, that's still our mission. We'll go back to supporting trips to Fresno or trips to LA for the proper care that they're gonna need," Bowles said.
Those interested in attending or sponsoring a table at the May 8 Light Up the Night event can find more information through the Bakersfield Firefighters Burn Foundation's social media pages and website.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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