HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has collected critical funds in the community since 1954 – one dollar at a time – as part of the Fill the Boot program for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The Hutchinson Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 179 will continue this tradition as its members kick off the annual program raising funds to support groundbreaking research for promising treatments and therapies and provide families with the highest quality care from the best doctors and medical teams in the country.
Dedicated fire fighters from Hutchinson Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 179 will hit the streets with boots in hand asking pedestrians, motorists, customers, and other passersby to donate to MDA on Nov. 24, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the intersection of 17th and Lorraine.
The partnership between MDA and IAFF began in 1954 when the IAFF signed a resolution designating MDA its charity of choice and vowed to continue raising awareness and funds until cures are found. To date, the seven-decade partnership has raised more than $700 million with these funds allowing MDA to invest more than $1 billion in research. These investments have led in part to many major medical and scientific advances, including the development of more than 20 new FDA approved treatments just since 2015.
In addition to organizing thousands of Fill the Boot events in hometowns across America, fire fighters also dedicate countless hours every year to volunteer at MDA Summer Camp, working with children and young adults living with muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular diseases. MDA and IAFF also joined to create an educational initiative to raise awareness and provide resources for fire fighters impacted by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“For 70 years, the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Fill the Boot campaign has raised critical funds for research and care for people who live with a neuromuscular disease, and we are honored to be a part of their effort for this important mission reaching a historic milestone this year,” said Dylan Lesser, MDA Coordinator for the Hutchinson Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 179.
For more information about Fill the Boot or to donate online, please visit www.mda.org/ftb.