The Suffolk Fire & Rescue Department, along with Local 2801 Professional Firefighters, asked citizens of Suffolk to help them Fill the Boot during their Muscular Dystrophy Association annual fundraising campaign in August 2017.

The end result was a donation of $57,315, which was presented to MDA at the Feb. 7 Suffolk City Council meeting.

Continuing a more than 60-year tradition, 250 dedicated firefighters from Suffolk Fire & Rescue and Local 2801 Professional Firefighters worked to raise the funds, which help kids and adults with muscular dystrophy and related muscle-debilitating diseases live longer and grow stronger.

Contributions also help fund groundbreaking research and life-enhancing programs such as state-of-the-art support groups and care centers, including the MDA Care Center at The Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk.

They also assist in sending more than 70 local kids to “the best week of the year” at MDA summer camp at the 4H Camp in Wakefield — at no cost to their families.