MARYSVILLE Firefighters were working the streets in town last week as they collected almost $17,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the Fill the Boot campaign on Aug. 25 and 26.
Firefighters and paramedics from the Marysville Fire District were working the intersection of Grove Street and State Avenue for the entire weekend, relying on the goodwill of local drivers stopped in traffic to help fight the dreaded wasting disease.
The two-day campaign is spearheaded by the Marysville Firefighters Union Local 3219 and is part of a national campaign to fund efforts to either find a cure for MS or to help people with the disease. Most of the $16,963.94 raised will stay in Snohomish County to help with treatment, diagnosis, equipment and care for people with more than 40 neuromuscular diseases including MS and Lou Gehrigs Disease, or ALS.
The firefighters in their bunker gear are a welcome sight to local drivers each year as they worked the lanes of traffic. Many drivers put in $20 bills and one even gave a C-note in addition to cleaning out their change drawers and purses.
I would say people were digging every little bit of change they had, said fire district spokesperson Stephanie Price, who was working the corner on Saturday and found the locals in a generous mood.
I think that kind of reflects on our community as being really generous and I think its good modeling for the grown ups in our community for the kids seeing this kind of thing happen.
The traffic was good all day and there was lots of repeat business as people came back time and again, Price said.
It was awesome. It was real busy, we had people coming thru there multiple times, Price said. Everybody seemed real happy coming through there.