Nashville Department Host Kick Off Event for Annual Fill the Boot Campaign for the Muscular Dystrophy Association

What: A special kickoff event for the annual Fill the Boot fundraising campaign. This year marks the 70 years of partnership between MDA and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). This long-standing program raises funds to support MDA's mission to empower people with neuromuscular diseases to live fulfilling and independent lives through research, care, community support and advocacy.

Who: Director Chief William Swann, IAFF Local 140 President Danny Yates, IAFF Local 140 Executive Board Members, District Chief/Fill the Boot Coordinator Tim Holmes, Nashville Fire Department Command Staff Members, Station 21 Personnel, and MDA.

Where: Nashville Fire Department - Station 21 located at 320 Joyner Avenue, Nashville, TN 37210

When: Friday August 30 starting at 10 a.m.

Media are invited to cover the event and get interviews afterwards with speakers and MDA families.

To confirm coverage or if you need additional information, please contact Joseph Pleasant, Nashville Fire Department Community Services Division Manager, at [email protected].

Why: The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has collected critical funds in the community since 1954 - one dollar at a time - as part of the Fill the Boot program for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

The members from the Nashville Fire Department and IAFF Local 140 will hit the streets at various locations with boots in hand asking pedestrians, motorists, customers, and other passersby to donate to MDA starting August 31 through September 10 beginning at 8 a.m. in each day.

During the 2023 Fill the Boot campaign for MDA the Nashville Fire Department and Local 140 raised a total of $130,849.

The Nashville Fire Department and Local 140 ranked:

• #3 in the United States
• #1 in the IAFF 14th District (states include: AL, AR, MS, LA and TN)
• #1 in the State of Tennessee

• The Fill the Boot program has raised over $700 million since 1954, making the IAFF the top fundraising partner in MDA history and its largest organizational partner. Learn more about the story of this 70-year partnership.
• In 2023, fire fighters across the United States raised over $11 million at more than 1,030 Fill the Boot events to fund MDA's mission including funding research, care, and advocacy to empower the lives of MDA families.
• MDA's spirited Fill the Boot campaign is an honored tradition in which thousands of dedicated fire fighters in hometowns across America hit the streets or storefronts asking pedestrians, motorists, customers, and other passersby to donate to MDA. The Fill the Boot program has become more than a fundraising campaign - across the United States these are annual events that mobilize neighbors to make a positive impact on the lives of children and adults living with neuromuscular diseases in their own communities.
• Thanks to continued generous support from long-standing partners like the IAFF, MDA has invested more than $1 billion in research for more than seven decades. These investments have led in-part to many major medical and scientific advances, including the development of more than 20 new FDA approved treatments just since 2015.
• MDA and IAFF also joined to create an educational initiative to raise awareness and provide resources for fire fighters impacted by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
• MDA is the #1 voluntary health organization in the United States for people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. For over 70 years, MDA has led the way in accelerating research, advancing care, and advocating for the support of our families.

To learn more visit mda.org and follow MDA on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

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