URBANA FIREFIGHTER ASSOCIATION TO “FILL THE BOOT” FOR MDA

DAYTON, Ohio, August 10, 2006 — Members of the Urbana Firefighter Association will be working The Champaign County Fair to fill their fire boots with donations to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Firefighters will collect donations from fair patrons at The Champaign County Fair on August 11, all day.

As MDA’s national sponsor for 52 years, firefighters will collect donations from passing consumers at The Champaign County Fair at the Champaign County Fairgrounds and Exhibition Center, in Urbana. The “Fill the Boot” campaign is an annual event for the Urbana Local 1823, a member of the International Association of Firefighters. Last year, the firefighters collected more than $13,000. This year the firefighters hope to raise even more.

Funds raised by the firefighters will assist more than 400 families in the Greater Miami Valley affected by neuromuscular diseases. MDA provides assistance in the purchases of
wheelchairs, leg braces and communication devices for patients and offers five support groups. MDA’s Summer Camp is an exciting week at Camp Joy in Clarksville, Ohio for children ages 6-21 living with any one of 43 neuromuscular diseases.

MDA (www.mda.org) is a non-profit organization not funded by United Way or the Federal Government and is the number one provider of neuromuscular research. This voluntary health agency works to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. The largest fundraiser for MDA is the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, which will be featured locally on ABC-WKEF Channel 22 on September 3 and 4 from 11:35 p.m. until 7 p.m.

For more information about the “Fill the Boot” campaign or MDA, please contact Brittany Cusick at 937-296-1160 or byoung@mdausa.org.
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