Jacksonville fire fighters support MDA with annual Fill the Boot drive through Memorial Day weekend

The Jacksonville Fire Department is showing its continued support for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) as its members kick off the annual Fill the Boot fundraising campaign to raise critical funds to help transform the lives of kids and adults with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related muscle-debilitating diseases.

Continuing a 65-year tradition of giving strength to the MDA community, the dedicated fire fighters from the Jacksonville Fire Department will hit storefronts with boots in hand asking pedestrians, customers and other passersby to make a donation to MDA on Saturday, Aug. 31, Sunday, Sept. 1, and Monday, Sept. 2, at Walmart in Jacksonville.

“We are thrilled to be working with the Jacksonville Fire Department 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,” Director of Development Tiffany Bratcher said. “The dedication of these fire fighters 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 Jacksonville and the East Texas area. We know that their devotion to our families will make this year’s drive a success.”

Funds raised through Jacksonville Fill the Boot in 2019 will help the MDA save lives and lift those up in need, by providing the MDA with vital resources to advance their mission of driving innovations in science and care for the neuromuscular community. Contributions have helped fund groundbreaking research and life-enhancing programs such as state-of-the-art support groups and Care Centers, including the MDA Care Center at Children’s Health- Specialty Care Center, Cook’s Children, UT Southwestern (ALS), Texas Neurology and UT Southwestern -Aston Ambulatory Care Center in Dallas.

They also help send local kids to “the best week of the year” at MDA summer camp at Camp John Marc – all at no cost to their families.

The partnership between the IAFF and 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. As MDA’s largest national partner, they have raised more than $650 million for the MDA to date. Today the IAFF/MDA partnership is finding new ways to save lives by working to expand newborn screenings in the U.S. with Pompe disease or Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), so that they can be immediately eligible for lifesaving and life changing therapies.

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.

MDA is committed to transforming the lives of people affected by muscular dystrophy, ALS and related neuromuscular diseases. As the largest source of funding for neuromuscular disease research outside of the federal government, MDA has committed more than $1 billion since its inception to accelerate the discovery of therapies and cures. Research the organization has supported is directly linked to approved, life-changing therapies across multiple neuromuscular diseases.

For more information visit mda.org.