Fill the Boot: Fundraiser for MDA to step off
Cape Coral Professional Firefighters Local 2424 will host its annual Fill the Boot drive starting today and running throughout the weekend to help raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Firefighters will collect donations from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the following intersections:
* Del Prado Boulevard and Cape Coral Parkway
* Del Prado Boulevard and Hancock Bridge Parkway
* Del Prado Boulevard and Veterans Parkway
* Veterans Parkway and Santa Barbara Boulevard
* Del Prado Boulevard and Pine Island Road
* Chiquita Boulevard and Cape Coral Parkway
* Pine Island Road and Burnt Store Road
* Pine Island Road and Nicholas Parkway
* Gleason Parkway and Skyline Boulevard
* Del Prado Boulevard and Kismet Parkway
Cindy Nichols, fundraising coordinator for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Southwest Florida, explained that the crews will usually do a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening.
“Be on the lookout for the firefighters,” she said. “They’ll have their boots.”
Nichols noted that any donation helps.
“Anything they can put in their boots, it adds up to be a big deal,” she said.
Local 2424 raised almost $31,000 in donations last year.
“This year, they’re hoping to raise over $35,000,” Nichols said.
Since a dip during the recession, donations have risen.
“The past few years it’s been a little bit more every year,” she said.
For over 20 years, Local 2424 has hosted the annual drive.
According to Nichols, other Fill the Boot drives organized regionally include one from Local 1826 – which covers the rest of Lee County – as well as one in Naples and one in Sarasota and Bradenton.
The International Association of Fire Fighters has partnered with the MDA for over 60 years.
“IAFF made a commitment to the MDA that they would support us until we found a cure,” she said.
The proceeds will go toward helping to find needed treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases that severely limit strength and mobility to local families in Southwest Florida.
“In Southwest Florida, there’s over 600 registered members with the MDA,” Nichols said.
The funds also help to empower families with life-enhancing resources and support.
“The money raised, most of it stays local,” she said.
“We offer direct services to our local families,” Nichols added.
As its largest national partner, the IAFF fuels MDA’s mission to find research breakthroughs across diseases, care for youth and adults from day one, and provide families with services and support.
“We’re very grateful,” she said.
In addition to Fill the Boot, firefighter contributions from year-round events help support MDA’s efforts to raise awareness and provide professional and public education on neuromuscular diseases.
Contributions also help to fund research and programs, such as support groups and Care Centers, including the MDA Care Center at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota. They also help send over 30 local children to an MDA summer camp at Rotary Camp in Brandon, at no cost to the families.
In 2015, more than 100,000 firefighters participated in Fill the Boot drives around the country and raised $25.5 million. To date, the IAFF has raised approximately $583 million for the MDA.
For more information about the MDA, visit: www.mda.org/.
For more about the Southwest Florida MDA office, visit on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/MDASouthwestFlorida.