MANCHESTER, NH — Members of the Manchester Fire Local #856 and the Professional Fire Fighters of NH recently kicked off the fire fighter’s annual Fire Fighter Appreciation and Fill the Boot fundraising campaign at the Fisher Cat Stadium, to help the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) find urgently needed treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related diseases that severely limit strength and mobility.
Fire fighters from Manchester Fire Local #856 participated in a firefighter appreciation night to honor the life of Boston fire fighter A. Michael Mullane at the game, along with fire fighters from throughout the region, by participating in a boot drive to support MDA. The Fisher Cats wore jerseys honoring Fire Fighter Mullane, and the jerseys where auctioned off in support of MDA.
“For more than 60 years, fire fighters have stood on the front lines with MDA in the fight to free individuals — and the families who love them — from the harm of these life-threatening muscle diseases,” said MDA Senior Fundraising Coordinator Michele Masse. “Each year, fire fighters dedicate countless hours of their time participating in Fill the Boot drives and at MDA Summer Camp. We’re grateful for their steadfast drive and common caring toward the kids and adults we serve and look forward to working together once again to make this Fill the Boot season a huge success.”
MDA’s spirited Fill the Boot campaign is an honored tradition in which thousands of dedicated fire fighters in hometowns across America hit the streets or storefronts asking pedestrians, motorists, customers and other passersby to make a donation to MDA, using their collective strength to help kids and adults live longer and grow stronger.
Funds raised through 2016 Fill the Boot events empower families with life-enhancing resources and support that open new possibilities and maximize independence so they can experience the world without any limits.
Contributions also 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 Dartmouth Hitchcock medical Center in Lebanon and Manchester. They also help send local kids to “the best week of the year” at MDA summer camp at no cost to their families at Agassiz Village in Poland ME.
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 2015, more than 100,000 fire fighters participated in Fill the Boot events across the country and raised $25.5 million. To date the IAFF has raised $583 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.
