Sara Byrne

Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors

Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors® is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering anyone affected by a burn injury through peer support, education, and advocacy. Since 1977, the Phoenix Society has partnered with survivors, families, health care professionals, burn centers, and the fire industry to support recovery, improve the quality of burn care, and prevent burn injury. Today, the Phoenix Society is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to empowering anyone affected by a burn injury. Over the years, the Phoenix Society has developed a variety of programs: Phoenix SOAR®, Phoenix World Burn Congress®, Phoenix Online Community, Phoenix Advocates, Phoenix Education Grants, Burn Support Magazine and more! We created these programs to help the burn survivor community heal physically, emotionally, and socially. Healing from a burn injury is a lifelong journey, so we've developed innovative plans that will be there at every step of the way. For example, Phoenix SOAR connects burn survivors and loved ones to a compassionate community of people who share the experience of a burn injury, helping them find hope and healing through peer support. Phoenix Society created Phoenix SOAR in conjunction with a national committee of experts, which led to the inclusion of aftercare and peer support in the American Burn Association's national burn center verification criteria. Furthermore, the Phoenix Society is a key partner in developing the groundbreaking LIBRE (Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation) Profile, a self-advocacy tool for burn survivors and a valuable means of gathering data about the long-term impact of a burn injury. Already, the LIBRE Profile has led to the first quantitative evidence that peer support results in improved outcomes for survivors. Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.