Upcoming Events
 
September 11
BFF Blitz

September 22
Savannah Golf Tournament

October 11
Motorcycle Charity Ride

October 16
Jeff Chavis Golf Tournament
  
For more information contact Bobbie Jo Gainey at bgainey@sfbf.net

Donating is Easy

The hero is commonly the simplest and obscurest of men.  

Henry David Thoreau


Thanks to Sheila O'Neal, volunteer extraordinaire, our staff recently delivered cookies to some of our BFFs


SFBF welcomes Pam Tankersley, our new  
Patient-Family Liaison! 


Just being able to stay at the Chavis House and be a part of something so special, filled with God's blessing is a blessing in itself.
  Lisa Mack 

Chavis House guest


1,129,250 - The number of firefighters in the USA.

 
No ice, no bucket!   
With  one click you can vote for us as your favorite charity and help us win $2,500. Visit: 

Enter your fire department in the Hot Diggity Dog Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, November 8th at our Burn Survivor Reunion contact Bobbie Jo Gainey at bgainey@sfbf.net. 

Find us on Facebook.
We like to be liked!
 
September 2014 

   

For over a decade our nation has paused to remember Patriot Day (also known as 9-11,) the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. It is a good time to pause and remember not only those firefighters and others who were injured or died that day, but also those who continue in fire service. Southeastern Firefighters Burn Foundation, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, and WJBF News will celebrate firefighters and first responders in a two-hour BFF Blitz honoring first responders and the role they play at the Burn Foundation and in their communities. This month you can read the story of one firefighter, Bryan Rawl, and his wife Polly. They are a great team and we consider them BFFs, Burn Foundation Friends. We hope you will take time to honor the dedicated firefighters in your community and the families that stand behind them.

Friendships Forged Through Fire

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. 

Get Your BLITZ on!

The 2nd Annual BFF Blitz, benefiting the Southeastern Firefighters Burn Foundation, sponsored by Clear Channel Media and Entertainment and WJBF News Channel 6, is just a few days away. On September 11th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. you can become a Burn Foundation Friend by making a small donation. Just call 1-800-650-BURN (2876) or visit www.sfbf.net/bff. This year we will be honoring local heroes - firefighters, EMS and military troops. As Kiss 96.3's popular celebrities, Minnesota Fattz and Cher Best, broadcast live inside the Augusta Richmond County Fire Station #8, WJBF News Channel 6 will broadcast its Your Hometown newscast, with Brad Means & Jennie Montgomery, outside the station. "Last year's Blitz raised over $28,000, and this year we have a goal of $35,000," said Bobbie Jo Gainey, Director of Development. "Funds raised help the Burn Foundation to continue assisting families of burn patients at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital, including free lodging and meals at the Chavis House."

Southeastern Firefighters Burn Foundation, Inc.
3614 J. Dewey Gray Circle, Bldg. C
Augusta, Georgia 30909
1-800-650-BURN