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IDAHO FALLS - After the Fill the Boot campaign was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, last weekend firefighters from the Idaho Falls Fire Department/IAFF Local 1565 hit the streets and shattered fundraising records for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
IFFD Firefighter Jimmie Hitch states, “This year we were able to raise just under $50,000. That is the most we have ever raised in the history of our department! We couldn’t have done it without the support of our awesome community!”
Idaho Falls Community Hospital donated $5,000 and Lookout Credit Union donated $1,000 to the campaign.
In a statement to the MDA, a local community member expressed gratitude by stating, “IFFD did it again! I am extremely grateful for the Idaho Falls firefighters and the support they continuously give to MDA. The money they raised gives me hope of one day finding a cure for me and my son. We love our local firefighters!”
Over the past eleven years, the IFFD/IAFF Local 1565 has raised more than $260,000 for the MDA. In 2019, they broke state records, raising more than $32,845. In 2020, regardless of the pandemic, $6,796 was raised through online donations.
The Idaho Falls Firefighters IAFF Local 1565 continued this long-standing tradition by kicking off the annual Fill the Boot program this past weekend at the intersection of Hitt Road and 17th Street. The program raises critical funds to help transform the lives of kids and adults with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related muscular-debilitating diseases. Donations help MDA continue services for families living with neuromuscular diseases across the country and help continue funding life-saving research.
“The Idaho Falls firefighters display an unwavering support for MDA year after year, raising critical funds and awareness to help our families get the care they need,” says April Gannon, National Manager, Consumer Engagement & Cause Partnerships at Muscular Dystrophy Association. “We are so thankful for their continued commitment to cure neuromuscular diseases and to protect everyone on the frontlines in our community amid the pandemic,” adds Gannon.
Donation can still be made online.