Fill the boot charity returns
Published 10:00 am Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Austin firefighter Craig Weis collects donations at the corner of First Avenue and Fourth Street NW in front of Austin High School on the first day of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Fill the Boot campaign Wednesday. The campaign will go through today and Friday. - Herald File Photo
Austin firefighters will be out en masse this week, but they won’t be fighting fires — they’ll be fighting muscular dystrophy.
For the third year in a row, Austin Fire Department will participate in the nation-wide “Fill the Boot” campaign dedicated to raising money to fight muscular dystrophy.
Firefighters will be taking 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.
Last year, Austin firefighters raised $17,000 in the three-day campaign. Fire Chief Mickey Healey said at a recent City Council meeting he’s hoping to exceed last year’s total, all by asking stopped drivers for donations and spare change.
Healey said the intersections will be manned by firefighters from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. All the firefighters will be wearing fire department gear and have signs for drivers as they approach the intersection.
“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.
