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NON-PROFIT
Moonlight Fund
helps burn survivors and their families
Special to San Antonio Medicine
In April 1998, burn survivor Celia Belt
walked onto the burn unit at Brooke Army
Medical Center (now the San Antonio Mili-
tary Medical Center) to volunteer her time
with burn survivors and their families.
Before doing so, she underwent three
months of interviews before being allowed
access to the unit. She also took part in in-
fectious-disease control and burn-unit train-
ing classes required of incoming burn-unit
medical personnel. As a volunteer, she spent
her time visiting with patients and their fam-
ilies. She also helped facilitate support group
meetings on the unit.
It did not take long for her to identify a
gap in services for the burn community.
During this time, she met burn patient
Henry Coffeen III. Together they created the
Moonlight Fund, a 501(c)3 organization, in-
corporated in Texas. Their partnership has
helped thousands of burn survivors and their
families. Henry and Celia were assisted in
their efforts by executives at Ernst & Young
and burn-unit personnel.
HELP WITHOUT DELAY
Emotional, financial and in-kind goods
and services all are made available to patients
and their families. The fund is the only non-
profit of its kind, offering assistance from the has a long-lasting effect on all involved.
onset of the accident through rehabilitation
and into the many years of recovery. The
fund provides this help without delay, pro-
viding immediate assistance in the hour of
need. Original goals for the fund were to
manage an organization that was modest on
22 San Antonio Medicine • June 2015
overhead, generous in giving and on call
24/7.
Early fundraising efforts included an air-
show from 1999 to 2009, with attendance
near 20,000 at the final airshow hosted. The
events not only provided income for the
funds efforts but also a measure of public
awareness regarding the needs of those suf-
fering with burn injuries. Due to the large
number of wounded soldiers needing hands-
on emotional care, and the move of the
Moonlight Fund’s co-founder to the Fort
Worth area, the shows were disbanded. Thus,
the fund depends on foundation grants,
fundraising galas and personal donations to
continue its efforts.
There exists a substantial lack of services
for burn survivors and their families. The av-
erage length of a hospital stay is 93 days, and
depending on the severity of the injuries,
physical and occupational therapy can take
several years. Without a good protocol of
after-care, many patients find themselves
back in the hospital for ongoing surgeries to
release scar tissue that otherwise would have
been treated by good rehabilitative care.
There also exists a need for ongoing coun-
seling for patients and their families. The
trauma caused by these life-changing injuries
Civilian patients often are uninsured or
under-insured and do not receive the neces-
sary rehabilitation that is crucial to a full re- in their healing process and prepare them to
covery. Active-duty injuries incurred by
military personnel due to conflicts abroad
also need assistance. Family members many
times find themselves as primary caregivers
and need the support of an outside organi-
zation, such as the Moonlight Fund. The
fund was operating at the onset of the war in
the Middle East, and has adapted to the in-
creased needs and added programs to assist
new groups of burn and blast survivors. The
war has provided for a complex number of
injuries, with most patients also suffering
from post-traumatic stress syndrome and
traumatic brain injuries. The Moonlight
Fund steps in to cover any gap in services to
wounded soldiers and their families.
In 2007, the fund expanded its services to
include those burn and blast survivors who
have undergone amputations. Moonlight
also introduced a retreat program that year,
offering a weekend setting for burn and blast
survivors hosted in the peaceful surroundings
of the Hill Country. Activities such as
archery, horseback riding, hiking, skeet
shooting and painting classes provide a meas-
ure of physical and emotional therapy. At-
tendees find plenty of opportunities to build
comradery and establish friendships. Pa-
tients, caregivers and their children learn they
are not alone in their struggle to regain their
health and wellness. Relaxation massages and
yoga sessions are available throughout the
weekend. Patients and families have the op-
portunity to meet others experiencing some
of the same struggles. They find it a “safe
place” to share their story and gain the emo-
tional healing needed for them to continue
re-enter the world.