Client Profile: Phoenix Society

Since 2006 Micro Visions has had the privilege of working with the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors. Through peer support and education, the Phoenix Society comprises a dedicated group of people working tirelessly to help burn survivors thrive. Please take a moment to learn more about this truly amazing organization.

The Phoenix Society was founded by burn survivor, Alan Breslau, who was inspired to work with burn survivors after a visit to a young boy in a burn center. Realizing the importance of peer support for those with burn injuries, he went on to establish one of the first burn support organizations in the United States.  The Society takes its name from the mythological bird that lives 500 years and is consumed by flame, rising from the ashes more brilliant than before.

Upon Mr. Breslau’s retirement in 1998, the Society secured Amy Acton as Executive Director and relocated from Levittown, Pennsylvania, to Grand Rapids. West Michigan was a great choice as Grand Rapids is also the home of the Spectrum Health Regional Burn Center. According to Amy, there are only 120 burn centers left nationwide, with many being merged with trauma centers.

After moving to Grand Rapids, the Society was staffed with local professionals from the medical and social work community. Amy was a nurse in the burn center at Spectrum and is also a burn survivor. Christine Juris, Program Coordinator, is also a burn survivor. Associate Director Pam Peterson is a former nurse manager from the Spectrum Health burn center and Amy Clark, Family Services Coordinator, is a child-life specialist with connections in both Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. The entire staff works to bring to the forefront the emotional issues attached to being burned and, as Amy said, “Given the opportunity to heal emotionally, burn survivors often emerge stronger than they were before.”

“Although this is a national organization,” Amy said, “Most programs and resources are available to local residents through Spectrum Health and the University of Michigan. Our SOAR program is active at Spectrum as well as burn centers throughout the country.” SOAR stands for Survivors Offering Assistance in Recovery and is a peer support program to help burn survivors heal emotionally. Phoenix distinguishes itself as the only burn group focusing on the emotional component of recovery.

The Phoenix Society also focuses on advocacy for their programs and for education to prevent others from being burned. The Phoenix team helps burn survivors reintegrate into a society which is often focused on outward appearance, making burn injuries a unique trauma from which to recover.

The many programs that Phoenix Society offers in addition to SOAR include: The Phoenix Society’s World Burn Conference, an international conference for burn survivors, their families, care givers, burn care professionals, and firefighters; The Journey Back, a program for young burn survivors returning to school; Be Your B.E.S.T. (Behavioral & Enhancement Skills Tools), a community re-integration program; Scholarships for Survivors; advocacy for public health policy issues that impact burn survivors; and Common Voices, a fire prevention organization.  For more information on these programs and the wonderful work that the Phoenix Society does, please visit their website, www.phoenix-society.org.

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