CORTLAND, N.Y. — The Cortland Fire Department held at its annual Fill the Boot drive Sunday to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Firefighters collected donations from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the corner of Tompkins Street and Broadway Avenue. Over the past five years the event has been held, the department has raised nearly $35,000 for the MDA.
The department presented a record-setting check of $6,316.95 to the MDA, the most the department has raised for the organization since the fundraiser began.
"The men and women of the department...are an incredibly important part of what we do at MDA on a day-to-day basis," said David Ciesielski, senior fundraising coordinator for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Syracuse.
Fundraising dollars will help assist those who are afflicted with muscle-debilitating diseases, as well as supporting programs and research at the MDA Care Center at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse.
Funds raised through Cortland’s Fill the Boot event in 2018 empower families who
inspire everyday Americans to help kids and adults with Muscular dystrophy and related
The International Association of Firefighters is MDA's largest national partner. In 2017, more than 100,000 firefighters participated in Fill the Boot events nationwide, raising a total of $24 million for the organization.
