St. Albert’s firefighters are now national champions after raising nearly $51,000 for muscular dystrophy in just over a month.
The St. Albert Firefighters Local 2130 confirmed on April 2 that they were the top fundraiser in Canada for the 2024 Fill the Boot campaign for muscular dystrophy.
St. Albert firefighters held many fundraisers in support of Muscular Dystrophy Canada in February and March, acting as waiters at East Side Mario’s and holding out their boots for donations at various grocery stores. One squad spent Feb. 28 to March 2 camped out on the roof of Fire Hall No. 2, eliciting many donations from passers-by.
St. Albert campaign co-organizer Daniel Onaczyszyn said firefighters were counting donations in late March when they realized they were just $2,000 behind the top fundraiser in this year’s donation drive (the Burnaby, B.C., fire department). The St. Albert squad decided to do one last push for donations at the southside Save-On-Foods on March 27 and put out a call for support on social media.
The event was a success, and brought St. Albert Fire’s donation total to $50,621.58 — the most from any fire department in this year’s Fill the Boot campaign.
“The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to the generosity of everyone who lives in St. Albert,” Onaczyszyn said.
“We’re very excited and very pleased with everyone involved.”
Onaczyszyn said some $24,000 of this total was donated by residents during the rooftop camp-out. About $10,000 of that was collected in one day, which was probably a record for the department. Firefighters had to endure -20 C conditions at times, but the treats and generosity of city residents kept them warm.
The Fill the Boot campaign has been a major fundraiser for muscular dystrophy research and patients in Canada for 70 years, and typically brings in $2.5–$3.2 million, said Taryn Harrison, the director of community fundraising for Western Canada for Muscular Dystrophy Canada. The Edmonton and Burnaby fire departments are typically the top fundraisers in this region.
“St. Albert did a fantastic job,” Harrison said, especially since they collected all that money in roughly a month.
Harrison said St. Albert firefighters will get a plaque and a congratulatory phone call from Muscular Dystrophy Canada CEO Stacey Lintern for their efforts. The money they raised will fund research into about 160 neuromuscular disorders and support Canadians with such illnesses.
It’s been a long two months, but Onaczyszyn said the St. Albert firefighters were ecstatic to be the top Fill the Boot fundraisers in Canada. They were now preparing for next year’s campaign.
Visit muscle.ca/filltheboot for details on the campaign.
