Fire rescue crew gears up for ‘Fill the Boot’

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — New Hanover County Fire Rescue is gearing up for its annual Fill the Boot fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association or MDA.

Tuesday, the crew was recognized for raising the most money for MDA in North Carolina with more than $67,000 last year. This year they are aiming to raise $75,000.

Melissa Sinclair, the Executive Director from the local MDA, said for more than six decades, firefighters from all over the state have fueled MDA’s mission to find treatments and cures for life-threatening muscle diseases.

“Muscular dystrophy and other related life-threatening diseases take away people’s ability to walk, move, smile, talk and even breathe,” Sinclair said.

The crew was presented with the award by Karen Corey. Her son has muscular dystrophy. She said she appreciates local firefighter collecting money for MDA.

Capt. Benjamin Bobzien said it feels good raising money and interacting with the community. He said they want to bring some holiday spirit to drivers as well as collect donations.

“You may see Sparky out there filling the boot. We may have some guys out there with some turkey hats on and just being silly. You know, we like to have fun when we are out there; safe as always,” Bobzien said.

Members of New Hanover County Fire Rescue will fan out throughout the county Thursday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.