Suffolk FireFighters Support MDA with Annual Fill the Boot Drive
The Suffolk Department of Fire & Rescue, along with Local 2801 Professional Firefighters, is showing its support for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) as its members kick off the annual Fill the Boot fundraising campaign to help kids and adults with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related muscle-debilitating diseases live longer and grow stronger.
Continuing a more than 60 year tradition, 250 dedicated firefighters from Suffolk Fire & Rescue and Local 2801 Professional Firefighters have hit the streets or storefronts with boots in hand on designated dates asking pedestrians, motorists, customers and other passersby to make a donation to MDA starting last Friday and Saturday, and will be continuing these efforts on August 18th, 19th, 25th and 26th at various local businesses throughout Suffolk from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., weather and call volume permitting.
Collection locations are as follows:
Walmart, 1200 North Main Street
Farm Fresh, 1401 North Main Street
Chick-Fil-A, 1018 North Main Street
Food Lion, 1010 Portsmouth Boulevard
7-Eleven, 1060 Portsmouth Boulevard
Food Lion, 1575 Holland Road
Walmart, 6259 College Drive
Kroger, 1017 University Boulevard
Chick-Fil-A, 6212 College Drive
Food Lion, 2815 Godwin Boulevard
7-Eleven, 1000 Centerbrooke Lane
Duck Thru, 6273 Holland Road
Dollar General, 6513 Holland Road
Speedway, 1129 Carolina Road
J and L, 6500 Whaleyville Boulevard
7-Eleven, 6020 Godwin Boulevard
Farm Fresh, 3675 Bridge Road
Food Lion, 3215 Bridge Road
If you are unable to come to the collection sites or do not have cash on hand, a new “Text To Donate” feature has been incorporated for this years’ campaign. Using your mobile phone, you can make a secure online donation by texting BOOT50 to 71777 to donate to Fill the Boot. Text to Donate will be running throughout the entire campaign.
“We are thrilled to be working with Suffolk Department and Rescue and Local 2801 Professional Firefighters for another year of Fill the Boot to help provide the funds needed to find treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases that severely limit strength and mobility,” said Fundraising Coordinator, Darcy Warren. “The dedication of these fire fighters to MDA’s mission is unwavering, spending countless hours both with Fill the Boot and MDA Summer Camp to care for the kids and adults in Suffolk. We know that their devotion to our families will make this year’s drive a success.”
Funds raised through Suffolk’s Fill the Boot events in 2017 empower families who inspire everyday Americans to help kids and adults with muscular dystrophy and related muscle-debilitating diseases live longer and grow stronger, displaying how we all can truly live unlimited no matter what limits we may face.
Contributions also help fund groundbreaking research and life-enhancing programs such as state-of-the-art support groups and Care Centers, including the MDA Care Center at The Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, VA. They also help send more than 70 local kids to “the best week of the year” at MDA summer camp at the 4H Camp in Wakefield, VA – all at no cost to their families.
MDA and IAFF Partnership
As MDA’s largest national partner, the IAFF fuels MDA's mission to find research breakthroughs across diseases; care for kids and adults from day one; and provide families with services and support.
IAFF support for MDA began in 1954 when the organization committed by proclamation to support MDA until a cure is found, and the organization's unwavering commitment to MDA has remained strong to this day. The IAFF raised $100,000 for MDA in 1955, and $1 million in 1970, and fire fighters continue to raise the bar in their fundraising efforts. In 2016, more than 100,000 fire fighters participated in Fill the Boot events across the country and raised $24.2 million. To date the IAFF has raised more than $607 million for MDA.
About the IAFF
The International Association of Fire Fighters represents more than 300,000 professional fire fighters and paramedics who protect 85 percent of the nation’s population. More than 3,200 affiliates and their members protect communities in every state in the United States and in Canada.
About MDA
MDA is leading the fight to free individuals — and the families who love them — from the harm of muscular dystrophy, ALS and related muscle-debilitating diseases that take away physical strength, independence and life. We use our collective strength to help kids and adults live longer and grow stronger by finding research breakthroughs across diseases; caring for individuals from day one; and empowering families with services and support in hometowns across America.