Fill the Boot campaign underway
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on August 13, 2017 1:45 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
From left, Hannah Guthrie, 6, Ivy Moore, CJ Penner, 10, and Allyson Aycock donate money to the Goldsboro Fire Department' annual Fill the Boot fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association at Walmart on Friday. The fundraiser will last through Sunday.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Orie Henry Jr. puts money in a tiny boot Friday as firefighters from the Goldsboro Fire Department hold their annual Fill the Boot fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The fundraiser will last through Sunday.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Nevaeh Booth, 9, donates money to the Goldsboro Fire Department's Fill the Boot fundraiser at Walmart Friday.
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When Goldsboro Fire Department Capt. Rob Loreman first learned that a close friend's daughter had muscular dystrophy, it presented him with a unique challenge.
"Just trying to understand what it meant was difficult," he said. "There's such a wide range of types of muscular dystrophy."
That question led to another - how to help.
On Saturday, the Goldsboro Fire Department answered that question, standing in the rain outside the Wal-Mart on Spence Ave. to collect money as part of the "Fill the Boot" muscular dystrophy awareness campaign.
The campaign began in conjunction with Jerry Lewis' MDA Labor Day telethon around 50 years ago, with firefighters around the country taking part. Loreman brought it to Goldsboro in 2003 after learning of his friend's daughter's diagnosis.
Muscular dystrophy is an umbrella term for a range of conditions which weaken and destroy muscle mass. This makes it progressively harder for victims to get around, eventually causing many to lose the ability to walk.
With consistent rain coming down, firefighters held their boots out to passersby, who occasionally dropped money into them. Loreman said the money will go toward sending kids with muscular dystrophy to special camps where they can enjoy activities they otherwise would never be able to.
Goldsboro firefighters attend those camps regularly, Loreman said. Doing so helps them connect to the Fill the Boot event.
"To see a kids face when they go to camp, it's like nothing else," he said. "They get to ride horses, row boats, all sorts of stuff that they never would be able to do normally."
Firefighters first set up outside Wal-Mart on Friday. They worked there from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and would do so Saturday and Sunday as well. Despite the rainy weather keeping people indoors more than usual, Loreman said the group still raised around $1,700 on the first day.
He thanked those who had come out to give what they could.
"I just want to say thank you to the citizens," he said. "Sometimes people think we're just sitting out here for the fire department, and we're not. When you see those kids at camp, it's what makes these guys okay with standing out in the rain."
One of those citizens was Patricia Coley, who spoke with Loreman under a tent. Coley's brother has muscular dystrophy, and she has served as a caretaker as the disease progressed.
A caretaker's job is a taxing one, no matter how much they love their family member.
"It means a lot of doctor visits, lots of specialists," she said. "His specialists are all in Chapel Hill, so it's a lot of time away from work and expense in travel."
Camps like the ones supported by Fill the Boot also give caretakers time away from their responsibilities to rest. Coley was grateful to the firefighters for their efforts.
"I think it's great what they're doing, it's awesome," she said. "I just hope the community comes out and supports them."