Citizens contributed $10,832 in Durant last week during the the Fill the Boot campaign to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The Durant Fire Department participates in the campaign by the International Association of Fire Fighters every year. They stand at intersections holding boots and motorists can contribute to the campaign.
Durant Fire Marshal Collin Gordon said fire department representatives participate, but the campaign is by the union side of the fire department.
“So, that Fill the Boot campaign is specifically to collect donations to assist in research for muscular dystrophy and related muscular skeletal diseases,” Gordon said.
Gordon was pleased with the amount contributed by citizens and he said the amount was typical of what is raised every year.
“The citizens of Durant have always been very generous,” Gordon said. “Our union local chapter has been recognized statewide a couple of times for the amount of money that we’ve been able to collect and donate to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. It’s fantastic.”
Battalion Chief Jeff Orlando was among those from the department who stood at an intersection to collect money from passing motorists.
“We’re pretty thankful for the citizens of Durant,” Orlando said. “They’ve always been very helpful and generous this time of the year.”
Gordon said some people misunderstand what the fire department is doing when standing at the intersections.
“It traditionally back in the 70s, 80s and 90s, there was a telethon each year and a lot of people remember Jerry’s Kids, Jerry Lewis,” Gordon said. “With the onset of the computer age, social media and stuff like that, a lot of times, there’s so much information that they don’t know that this actually is a telethon that goes on every year and a contribution drive, a donation drive to assist Muscular Dystrophy Association.
“A lot of people, 50 and 60 years old, we all know because when we were kids, Labor Day weekend was the telethon that was all weekend, but for the past 20 years or so, that telethon has kind of disappeared into the mesh of information that’s out there. So, a lot of the newer people, the generations of 40 years old and 30 and younger, they don’t know the connection of why we’re standing on the street.
“We’re really out there to collect donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This doesn’t go to the union, it doesn’t go to the fire department. It goes specifically to help kids who or even adults who are stricken with muscular skeletal diseases and this is going for research for that.”
