Help firefighters fill the boot for MDA on Friday
The Arlington Heights Fire Department Local 3015 is showing its support for the Muscular Dystrophy Association as its members kick off their 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, 40 dedicated firefighters from Arlington Heights Fire Department Local 3015 will hit the streets and storefronts with boots in hand asking pedestrians, motorists, customers and other passers-by to make a donation to MDA from 6:30-10 a.m. and 2-6 p.m. on Friday, May 19, at the corners of: Golf and Arlington Heights roads, Dundee and Arlington Heights roads, Palatine and Arlington Heights roads, Rand and Arlington Heights roads, Northwest Highway and Arlington Heights Road.
Local MDA client families will be in attendance during the day at the Boot Drive, and in the evening, from 7 p.m.-midnight, a benefit will be hosted at Ditka's Trackside. Tickets are $20 in advance, and $30 at the door for hors d oeuvres, live music, auction items and all you can drink.
"We are thrilled to be working with the Arlington Heights Fire Department Local 3105 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 Jessica McDougall. "The dedication of these firefighters 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 Arlington Heights. We know that their devotion to our families will make this year's drive a success."
Funds raised through Arlington Heights 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 Lurie's Children's Hospital, Shriner's Hospital for Children, University of Illinois at Chicago and Northwest Medical in Chicago. They also help send more than 80 local kids to "the best week of the year" at MDA summer camp at Timber Pointe Outdoor Center all at no cost to their families.
In addition to Fill the Boot drives, firefighter contributions from year-round local events, including AHFD MDA Benefit and running with Team Momentum help support MDA's efforts to raise awareness and provide professional and public education about neuromuscular diseases.
As MDA's largest national partner, the International Association of Fire Fighters (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 firefighters continue to raise the bar in their fundraising efforts. In 2016, more than 100,000 firefighters participated in Fill the Boot events across the country and raised $26 million. To date the IAFF has raised $608 million for MDA.
The IAFF represents more than 300,000 professional firefighters 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.
The 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. The MDA uses its 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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