Amarillo firefighters raise $58,000 during this year's Fill the Boot Campaign

Brianna Maestas, Amarillo Globe-News
·2 min read

The Amarillo Fire Department (AFD) raised approximately $58,000 from the community to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) following their recent annual Fill the Boot Campaign.

The fundraiser was held Aug. 31 through Sept. 2, with additional donations accepted past the original time frame. During that time, volunteer firefighters stood on five busy intersections throughout Amarillo between the hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. over the three days and collected donations from passing cars into their boots.

According to AFD Public Information Officer Jeremy Hill, they were just $2,000 shy of their $60,000 goal but exceeded last year's funds raised of $55,101. Hill thanked the community for their efforts to help raise funds and awareness.

The Amarillo Fire Department raised $58,000 during its annual Fill the Boot Campaign, where firefighters collected donations at intersections across Amarillo while bringing awareness to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The Amarillo Fire Department raised $58,000 during its annual Fill the Boot Campaign, where firefighters collected donations at intersections across Amarillo while bringing awareness to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The Amarillo Fire Department raised $58,000 during its annual Fill the Boot Campaign, where firefighters collected donations at intersections across Amarillo while bringing awareness to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The Amarillo Fire Department raised $58,000 during its annual Fill the Boot Campaign, where firefighters collected donations at intersections across Amarillo while bringing awareness to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

"The AFD is proud to be a part of the MDA Fill the Boot Program, and for us to volunteer our time to stand on the corners and collect funds takes time. The fire chief also allows us to donate some of our time on duty, so it is collective. They are donating time on duty, and so to come together, volunteer the time and see the community pour out $58,000 makes us feel pretty good about our efforts," Hill said.

The annual Fill the Boot fundraiser is a part of the national campaign created to help raise funds and awareness for people in the United States living with muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular diseases. AFD has been a part of this cause for more than 20 years.

The Amarillo Fire Department raised $58,000 during its annual Fill the Boot Campaign, where firefighters collected donations at intersections across Amarillo while bringing awareness to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The Amarillo Fire Department raised $58,000 during its annual Fill the Boot Campaign, where firefighters collected donations at intersections across Amarillo while bringing awareness to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Hill said that the fundraiser was truly a community effort, which was evident from the equal donations given to the cause from each intersection across the city.

"That is the great thing about this, whether it be the east side of town, west side, north or west, we get great participation where the entire community, the entire city of Amarillo, pours out their ash trays, their purses to donate, and you get to see the smiles on their faces when they get to be a part of this," Hill said.

AFD said that 100% of the proceeds raised benefit MDA.

For those seeking more information on MDA, visit them online at https://www.mda.org/ .

To make a virtual donation, visit them online at https://mda.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donate.event&eventID=824&referrer=topdonatebutton%20mdaorg .

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo Fire Department's Fill the Boot campaign raises $58,000