Fill the Boot: Plano firefighters hit streets for MDA

Staying true to a 55-year-old, nationwide tradition, Plano firefighters are giving neuromuscular disease the boot starting Wednesday as part of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Fill-the-Boot campaign.

Having raised $41,486 in three days last year, the department hopes to collect even more this week. Funds collected in Plano and dozens of other departments across the Metroplex benefit nearly 3,000 families affected disorders like Lou Gehrig's disease, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Huntington's disease and stroke.

Firefighters across the country are the top contributors to MDA, bringing in more than $435 million since becoming a supporter in 1954. Last year, Texas firefighters led the country collecting more than $3.5 million for MDA, with Dallas contributing 10 percent of that total, according to the MDA Greater Dallas chapter.

The Plano Fire Department has been participating in the campaign for roughly eight years, with each event raising more money than the last, said Ray Fitch, campaign coordinator and fire truck operator at Fire Station 5, located at Park and Preston roads.

Fitch, who is responsible for coordinating this week's roadway fundraiser with Plano's 13 stations, said he remembered the first year the department participated in the campaign. That year, firefighters raised more than $15,000, a lot of which was in change.

"We had to count it all [ourselves]," Fitch said. "It must've taken us hours to count it all. Now, we have a bank that does most of it for us [but] trust me, it adds up, every little bit helps."

So why do so many motorists go out of their way to find that lose change under their seats and in the floorboards just so they can chuck it into a rubber boot? Perhaps what has made the Fill-the-Boot campaign so popular and effective throughout the years is, unlike others who try to raise money on a whim on the street, these MDA representatives have gained a favorable reputation, and with good reason, Fitz said.

"I think a lot of it is trust," he said. "We get called out on the worst day of people's lives and get to help them out; this is their way of helping us out."

More than 77 cents of every dollar raised for the MDA goes directly to services and research. MDA has invested more than $12.4 million in research funding in Texas over the last five years, MDA of Greater Dallas Executive Director Jacquelin Way said. During the same time period, MDA has provided more than $12.1 million in services to individuals living in Texas.

MDA clinics serving the Dallas-Fort Worth area include The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Children's Medical Center of Dallas, Texas Neurology, Cook Children's Medical Center Fort Worth and Neurology Associates of Arlington.

"The support that we receive from the firefighters and community gives MDA the opportunity to continue to provide many great services that we offer the families we serve including support groups, clinical care and summer camp for children ages 6 to 17," Way said. "Firefighters are MDA's largest non-corporate sponsor and we are grateful for all that they do for our communities."

This year's event holds special meaning for the Plano Fire Department, as it lost a fellow "brother" to Lou Gehrig's disease a couple of months ago, Fitch said. The individual was with the Wichita Falls fire department, where a few of Plano's finest are from and knew him personally.

"It makes a big difference when you get to see someone relate to who is being helped," Fitz said. "I think for the most part, every one enjoys this because they get to meet people, it's fun to go out and talk with people when nothing is wrong is that time. It's nice to be able to sit and talk with someone, even if it is [for] a few moments, when it's not crisis."

The Fill the Boot campaign will continue through Friday. Firefighters will be boot-handling on the intersections of Park Boulevard and Avenue K; Custer Road and 15th Street; Jupiter Road and 14th Street; Independence Parkway and Parker Road; Parker Road and Preston Road; Parker Road and Alma Drive; Legacy Road and Parkwood Boulevard; Coit Road and Hedgcoxe Road; Parker Road and Midway Road; Custer Road and McDermott Road; and Spring Creek Parkway and Jupiter Road.

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