Firefighters from East Pierce Fire and Rescue will be collecting donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) through the annual “Fill the Boot” campaign beginning today at three collection sites in Bonney Lake, Sumner and Edgewood.

Look for the firefighters from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on:

• Thursday, August 16 in Bonney Lake at 200th Avenue East and South Prairie Road East ;

• Friday, August 17 in Bonney Lake at 9th Street East and 182nd Avenue East ;

• Thursday, August 23 in Edgewood at 24th Street East and Meridian Avenue East; and

• Friday, August 24 in Sumner at Valley Avenue and Main Street.

The Fill the Boot campaign, sponsored by East Pierce Professional Firefighters Local 3520, raises money to assist families affected by muscular dystrophy in the Sumner, Lake Tapps, Edgewood, Milton, South Prairie and Bonney Lake communities.

Last year, the firefighters raised a record-breaking $17,075.

“The great thing is that the money we raise stays local to help people in our area affected by Muscular Dystrophy,” Firefighter Andrew House, who is organizing the event again this year, said in a press release. “Last year, we raised more than $18,000. The goal this year is $20,000.”

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is a voluntary health agency founded in 1950 to fight 43 neuromuscular diseases, including ALS or Lou Gehrigs Disease, which affect millions of Americans. The term muscular dystrophy describes a group of diseases characterized by the degeneration of voluntary muscles. The Association’s programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors. MDA seeks no government grants, United Way funding or fees from those it serves.