For Immediate Release

Friday, Oct. 27, 2017

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Gloucester Fire Department’s Fill the Boot Campaign Raises Over $12,000 for Muscular Dystrophy Research

GLOUCESTER — Chief Eric Smith is proud to report that the Gloucester Fire Department raised more than $12,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) this summer.

Gloucester Firefighters have donated $12,465 to muscular dystrophy research following their participation in the Fill the Boot campaign, which a nationwide donation drive where firefighters reach out to the community in an effort to fill boots with with money for the MDA.

Muscular dystrophy is a combination of diseases that progressively weakens the muscles and is common in children, according to the Mayo Clinic. Gloucester firefighters have supported the Fill the Boot campaign for decades in an effort to help fund the search for a cure.

“I’m proud of the commitment by our firefighters to raise awareness and collect donations for such an important cause,” Chief Smith said. “This donation would not have been possible without the continued support of our entire community, and I’m excited to say that they once again outdid themselves by helping us raise even more this year than we did last year.”

The fundraiser’s success was the result of a unified effort by Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken and her office, as well as the city of Gloucester and the Gloucester Firefighters’ Union.

About the Fill the Boot Campaign:

MDA’s spirited Fill the Boot campaign is an honored tradition in which thousands of dedicated firefighters hit the streets and storefronts asking pedestrians, motorists, customers and other passersby to make a donation to MDA, using their collective strength to help kids and adults live longer and grow stronger.

Fill the Boot donations benefit MDA’s shared mission to find research breakthroughs across diseases, care for kids and adults from day one, and empower families with services and support in hometowns across America.

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