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Southlake DPS
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Southlake DPS
The Southlake Fire Department filled their boots to the brim this past weekend. Not with sand or water, but with cold hard cash.
The 65th annual “Fill The Boot” campaign took place this past weekend, where Southlake firefighters went out to the community to collect money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, a nonprofit organization that helps fund medical research for muscular dystrophy and other diseases.
In 2018, the Southlake Fire Department raised a record-setting $55,698.14 for MDA research. This year, they exceeded that record by over $10,000, with their total earnings allotting to $66,143.
“Last year they set a goal of $30,000, and this year they set a goal of $50,000,” Southlake Fire Prevention Officer Renni Burt explains. “And they actually did it. I never thought that we would get even more than we did last year.”
Burt has helped coordinate the campaign between the Fire Department and MDA for the past 10 years. Every year, she watches as firefighters pour through the sweltering heat to collect funds for MDA research and relief.
She expresses how often she is impressed with not only with the department’s extraneous efforts but also with how much money they manage to collect.
“One crew collected over $50,000 of that $66,000," Burt remarks.
But more than anything else, Burt loves seeing how the Department’s hard work goes to benefit the families in Tarrant County that need it most.
According to MySouthlakeNews.com, proceeds from Fill The Boot will provide medical equipment, motorized chairs for afflicted youth and a week of fun at the MDA Summer Camp for kids with neuromuscular diseases.
“You talk to families, and you really know where that money is going,” Burt expresses. "I’m proud that our whole department is committed to helping MDA. They go above and beyond what’s expected of them.”
To learn more about the association, their summer camp and see how else you can help the cause, call them at 800.572.1717 or visit MDA.org