Fairfax County Fire Fighters Raise More than $500,000 for MDA During 2016 Fill the Boot Campaign
RESTON, Va. (PRWEB) October 03, 2016 -- More than 1,600 members of the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department Local 2068 and the Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications raised $521,509.05 during the annual Fill the Boot campaign over Labor Day weekend to help kids and adults with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases that severely limit strength and mobility live longer and grow stronger.
“For more than six decades, fire fighters have fueled MDA's mission to find treatments and cures for muscle-debilitating diseases, and this year’s Fairfax County Fill the Boot results are perfect example of their dedication,” said MDA Executive Director Tiffany Tillotson. “We are extremely grateful to have the support of these truly selfless heroes, as well as the entire Fairfax County community. It is with their generosity that we will be able to empower MDA families with life-enhancing resources and support that open new possibilities and maximize independence so they can experience the world without any limits.”
MDA’s spirited Fill the Boot campaign is an honored tradition in which thousands of dedicated fire fighters in hometowns across America hit the streets or storefronts asking pedestrians, motorists, customers and other passersby to make a donation to MDA, using their collective strength to help find treatments and cures for life-threatening neuromuscular diseases.
In addition to Fill the Boot drives, fire fighters contribute year-round at MDA local events and MDA Summer Camp to support MDA’s efforts to raise awareness and provide professional and public education about neuromuscular diseases.
Funds raised help MDA’s efforts to fund groundbreaking research and life-enhancing programs such as state-of-the-art support groups and Care Centers, including the MDA Care Center at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital and Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. They also help send more than 60 local kids to “the best week of the year” at MDA Summer Camp at no cost to their families at Camp Maria.
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 2015, more than 100,000 fire fighters participated in Fill the Boot events across the country and raised $25.5 million. To date the IAFF has raised $583 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.
Learn how you can fund cures, find care and champion the cause at mda.org.
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Kelli Park, Muscular Dystrophy Association, +1 (520) 603-5724, [email protected]
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