Newton Fire Department to fill the boot for MDA

Local firefighters will hit the streets Saturday to raise money for a worthy cause.

The Newton Fire Department will participate in the nationwide fundraiser, Fill the Boot, at 9 a.m. to noon.

In previous years, the Newton Association of Professional Firefighters have raised about $2,000 during its annual one-day collection.

For more than 60 years, firefighters have raised money in their communities to donate to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

NFD firefighter Ryan Volk said the fundraiser is a way for the community to learn more about MDA.

“Fill the Boot is a way to raise awareness for muscular dystrophy around the country and that is why our department is heading out locally,” Volk said.

In its third year, firefighters will be at the intersection of West Fourth Street South and First Avenue West with a boot in hand.

“We like to raise awareness and always get a lot of people who ask what we are doing and that gives us the chance to inform them about MDA,” Volk said.

As the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s largest national sponsor, the IAFF fuels MDA’s mission to find treatments and cures for life-threatening muscle diseases.

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 2013, more than 100,000 firefighters participated in Fill the Boot events across the country and raised $26.2 million.