There is an easiness that comes when two people have been together for thirty-five years. You get the feeling that Polly and Bryan Rawl can read each other's minds. They laugh frequently and occasionally finish the other one's sentences.  When asked if it was love at first sight, his eyes crinkle and he leans in and looks at her as if to say, "You answer." She answers, "Yes, I guess it was," and he nods in agreement. She must be right. They have been together since their first date to the prom at Lexington (SC) High School. Now with two adult children, Matthew and Megan, and three grandchildren, their lives revolve mostly around their family.  

Polly has a wry sense of humor and delivers some great one-liners. Bryan seems more serious but not really. He is a better listener than talker and is all business when asked about his job as a Captain in the Lexington County Fire Service. It was his friendship with a young firefighter, Jeffrey Vaden Chavis, that brought him and Polly to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center for the first time in June of 2001.

Bryan's memories of the day when Jeff suffered injuries while fighting a residential fire are still vivid. Jeff put up a valiant fight, but eventually succumbed and died as a result of his catastrophic injuries while a patient in the Joseph M. Still Burn Center. Over the months and years following Jeff's death, Bryan and Polly would become good friends with Jeff's parents, Vaden and Linda, a friendship forged through grief. The following year Bryan was chosen as the fire service escort for the Chavis family as they attended the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial service held at Arlington National Cemetery. This is the national tribute to all firefighters who died in the line of duty during the previous year. Thousands attended and the family of each fallen firefighter was assigned a fire-service escort to assist them.

The Rawls personify a BFF, Burn Foundation Friend. Since their first trip to Augusta over thirteen years ago, they have supported Southeastern Firefighters Burn Foundation in many ways. They speak proudly of the Chavis House, as if it were their own home. Because of their many hours of volunteer work and generosity they are as much a part of the fabric of the guesthouse as the draperies that hang at the windows. When asked what they would like to see the Burn Foundation accomplish in the future he offers no suggestions, "I cannot imagine anything else. The Chavis House has just been remodeled and it looks wonderful." Polly, usually the pragmatist, says, "I know it's not possible, but I would love to see a day when there are no burns and no families to stay at the Chavis House." That's a wonderful thought, Polly.