A special kickoff event for the annual Fill the Boot fundraising campaign is being hosted by members of the Local #4416 Hamilton County Fire Department, along with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), to free individuals – and the families who love them – from the harm of muscular dystrophy, ALS and related life-threatening diseases that take away physical strength, independence and life.
The kick-off event on Thursday, Aug. 24 at the Firefighter Union Hall, located at 399 S. 14th St., Noblesville, continues this honored International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) tradition after more than 60 years of providing constant ambition and loyalty to help give individuals the strength to live longer and grow stronger.
Local Central Indiana families will come out to support the fire department and kick off a successful 2017 Fill the Boot Season alongside Local #4416 President Tony Murray, Fill the Boot Coordinators Jason Maners and Michael Durall and Hamilton County mayors. The Local #4416 Hamilton County Fire Department collected $20,000 during last year’s Fill the Boot program.
“The members of the Local #4416 Hamilton County Fire Department display an unwavering support for MDA as they raise critical funds to help our families get the strength and resources they need,” said Fundraising Coordinator, Paige Shiver. “We are so proud to kick off the 2017 Fill the Boot campaign with these first-responders who mirror the strength and nobility of MDA families who strive to live unlimited every day.”
On Aug. 31 in Fishers and Sept. 1 throughout Hamilton County, this year’s Fill the Boot campaign will officially begin at Walmart locations in Noblesville, Westfield and Fishers as well as Kroger on Logan Street in Noblesville, at West 161st Street and Spring Mill Road in Westfield, at Carey Road and State Road 32 in Westfield and on Olio Road in Fishers. More than 100 members of the Local #4416 Hamilton County Fire Departments will greet motorists on the street and shoppers outside these stores all over the city, asking them to make a donation to support MDA’s mission of funding research to accelerate treatments and cures, as well as caring and empowering kids and adults from day one so they can thrive.
Funds raised through 2017 Hamilton County Fill the Boot event 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 IU Health Neuroscience Center and IU Health Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. They also help send more than 60 local kids to a life-changing experience in an environment without barriers at MDA Summer Camp at Bradford Woods in Martinsville – 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 more than $24 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. Learn how you can fund cures, find care and champion the cause at mda.org.