Firefighters fill boots with $19K

Published 10:30 am Monday, August 29, 2011

Austin firefighter Troy Tigner accepts a donation during the MDA Fill the Boot drive last week. -- Herald file photo

Austin firefighters are pretty good at fundraising.

Local firefighters raised $19,258 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and other causes that help fight muscular dystrophy.

This is the third year firefighters have raised money for muscular dystrophy and this year’s total exceeds anything firefighters have done before.

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Last year, firefighters raised a little more than $16,000 and about $14,000 the year before that, according to firefighter engineer Tim Olson.

Firefighters took donations in their boots from Wednesday to Friday at three intersections — West Oakland Ave. and 14th St. NW; Fourth St. NW and Tenth Drive NW; and Eighth St. NE and Eighth Ave. NE.

“Hopefully the citizens will look for fire personnel to make sure their donations are truly going to MDA and the kids,” Healey said in an e-mail to the Herald.

Donations from around the country are pooled together and presented to the MDA during the MDA Labor DAy Telethon.