3rd Annual Charity Event to Benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Boston, IAFF Burn Foundation and Boston Firefighters Local 718 Burn Foundation
(BOSTON) Join burn survivors, supporters and firefighters from across New England on Saturday, May 19, 2012 for the 3rd Annual New England Walk for Burn Awareness. The walk, to be held on at Castle Island in South Boston, is a fundraising event to help support burn survivors.
Proceeds from the event will benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children — Boston, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Burn Foundation and Boston Firefighters Local 718 Burn Foundation.
Participants will walk for two miles around scenic Castle Island. Festivities will also include a performance by the Greater Boston Firefighters Pipes & Drum band, Shriners clowns, local celebrities, a water show from Massport's “Howard Fitzpatrick” Fire Boat, children’s activities, and refreshments and T-shirts for all participants. The entrance fee is $25, with children under 12 free. Registration will open at 8:30 a.m.
The American Burn Association estimates that fire and burn injuries are the second leading cause of accidental death in children aged 1 to 4, and the third-leading cause of injury and death for those aged 1 to 18. Each year, more than 500,000 people in the U.S. sustain burn injuries.
“Shriners Hospitals for Children Boston and the IAFF Burn Foundation know first-hand the emotional and physical damage that burn injuries cause,” says Phil Tammaro, Billerica Firefighter and 3rd District IAFF Burn Foundation coordinator. “We believe there is a tremendous need to prevent these injuries from occurring and to make certain that burn patients continue to receive the highest quality of health care available to them regardless of their ability to pay.”
For more information about registering for this year's walk or to make a donation, visit www.burnawarenesswalk.org.
You can also “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NE.WalkForBurnAwareness or follow us on Twitter via @bostonburnwalk.
About Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Boston
Shriners Hospitals for Children — Boston is a 30-bed pediatric specialty hospital, research and teaching center. Children up to age 18 with burn injuries, cleft lip and palate and orthopaedic condition are eligible for care and receive all services regardless of the ability to pay.
The Boston Shriners Hospital is one of 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children, an international health care system dedicated to providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research and outstanding medical teaching programs. For more information visit www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.
About the International Association of Fire Fighters Burn Foundation
The IAFF Burn Foundation is dedicated to fire-prevention and burn-awareness education, advocacy, burn research and improving the quality of life for burn survivors. Created in 1982 as a tax-exempt, non-profit, the Burn Foundation is one of the largest sources for burn-research grants and is the sponsor of an annual International Burn Camp, held each fall in Washington, DC. The foundation has donated more than $2.5 million to burn research. More information is available at http://burn.iaff.org.
About the Boston Firefighters Local 718 Burn Foundation
The Boston Firefighters Burn Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to easing the suffering and hardships of burn victims and their families. The foundation provides victims and their families with assistance that includes lodging, clothing, meals, travel expenses, mortgage/rent payments and friendship. For more information, visit: www.bostonfirefightersburnfoundation.com.
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