Firefighters Raise $2,000 to Support MDA

CAPE MAY — During the 2018 Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Fill the Boot campaign, members of the Cape May Professional Firefighters Association Local 3495 took to the streets to help children and adults with muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related life-threatening diseases live longer and grow stronger.
They rasied $2,000 to benefit MDA Aug. 4. They surpassed their total of $1,500 from last year.
Cape May Professional Firefighters Association Local 3495 thanked the public for their generous donations to make their Fill the Boot campaign a success. They have raised enough money to send one child to MDA Summer Camp.
Cape May Professional Firefighters Association Local 3495 kicked off Fill the Boot with a BBQ with local Ambassador Ashton and his family. Then they Filled the Boot at the Washington Street Mall from 4 to 6 p.m.
“The firefighters of Cape May Professional Firefighters Association Local 3495 have once again shown their immense dedication and care for MDA’s families during this year’s Fill the Boot campaign,” stated MDA Rep. Development Officer Carrie Castaneda. “This year’s Fill the Boot was a success and we are grateful for the generosity of those in the Cape May community who have helped individuals with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related muscle-debilitating diseases truly live unlimited.”
Firefighters have taken part in MDA’s Fill the Boot tradition for more than 60 years, hitting the streets or storefronts asking pedestrians, motorists, customers and other passersby to make a donation to MDA, joining the fight to find treatments and cures for devastating diseases that take away everyday abilities like walking, talking, hugging and even breathing.
In addition to Fill the Boot drives, firefighter contributions help support MDA’s efforts to free individuals – and the families who love them – from the harm of neuromuscular diseases from year-round local events, including Team Momentum, Muscle Walk, Black-N-Blue Ball, Railway Day for MDA, Strike Out Muscle Disease and the Tri-State Firefighter Throwdown.
Funds raised 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 MDA/ALS Center of Hope at Temple University Hospital, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, ALS Center at Pennsylvania Hospital, Nemours/A.I.duPont Hospital for Children and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
They also help send more than 50 local children to “the best week of the year” at MDA Summer Camp at no cost to their families at Varity Club Camp.