St. Florian Burn Foundation’s work with burn survivors has received a financial boost thanks to the fundraising efforts of Blaze Restoration Inc. After hosting its fourth annual golf tournament on behalf of St. Florian, the Moline-based Blaze Restoration recently donated $8,000 to the foundation. The 2022 tournament, held in June at Bettendorf’s Palmer Hills Golf […]
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St. Florian Burn Foundation’s work with burn survivors has received a financial boost thanks to the fundraising efforts of Blaze Restoration Inc.
After hosting its fourth annual golf tournament on behalf of St. Florian, the Moline-based Blaze Restoration recently donated $8,000 to the foundation.
The 2022 tournament, held in June at Bettendorf’s Palmer Hills Golf Course, brings the total amount to $23,000 that the company has raised for the foundation. The fire and water restoration company launched the fundraiser in 2019. This year’s tournament drew 145 participants.
“We do this event because at Blaze we believe it is our responsibility as business owners to support our community in any way we can,” said Danette Simons, who owns the company with her husband, Michael Simons. “The St. Florian Burn Foundation aligns perfectly with our passion to heal and restore lives affected by fires.”
St. Florian was founded in 1993 in Sioux City, Iowa, through a partnership between St. Luke’s Burn Center and the Sioux City Professional Firefighters IAFF Local #7. Its vision is to be the regional service organization for fire and burn prevention as well as survivor support. The foundation works to empower the burn community to come together, to build strength and hope along the journey, and to become a unified voice for support and prevention. The group serves Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska, according to its website.
Funds raised through the Quad Cities golf outing will benefit the foundation’s Miracle Burn Camp. Launched in 1995 in Sioux City, the camp is organized by a staff of professional firefighters, burn survivors, burn care professionals and YMCA camp experts. It is open to burn survivors, between the ages of 8 and 18, to offer them a camp experience in a non-threatening environment.
The foundation said on its website that in its 27 years of running Miracle Burn Camp it has supported 1,500 campers and 100 families a year. The cost to send one child to camp is $1,000.
According to Blaze Restoration, the camp has helped foster many lifelong friendships while building self esteem among burn victims. The experience also supports emotional healing and encourages campers to live beyond the scars and to be themselves.
“It is a privilege for Blaze Restoration to play a small part in the lives of young burn survivors,” said Ms. Simons.
Located at 5310 Ave. of the Cities, Moline, Blaze also has an office in Galesburg, Illinois, and has been serving east central Iowa and west central Illinois for 40-plus years.
