Hanford Firefighters Collect for 'Jerry's Kids'

Every August, Hanford firefighters get busy shining their boots as they prepare for the annual "Fill the Boot" drive to support the work of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Uniformed Hanford firefighters station themselves at most entry points to the Hanford Site during the morning rush hour and collect donations for "Jerry's Kids." Donations are also collected at each fire station.

For safety reasons, collections are only accepted from the driver's side of the vehicle. Firefighters wear their uniforms and safety vests. Most importantly, however, they carry their fire boots in hopes of increasing the amount of money raised each year.

1999 Boot Drive

The 1999 boot drive occurred on August 27th, when Hanford firefighters, fire boots in hand, scattered across the site to collect donations for the MDA from Hanford employees as they made their way to work. And, as usual, those Hanford employees came through with flying colors. "In just a few hours, employees donated $3,300 to help support this very worthwhile charity," said Kathi Young, an HFD paramedic and one of the drive organizers.

That amount, combined with the $5,200 that came from the second annual Hanford Firefighters/MDA Golf Tournament held in June, meant that the Hanford Firefighters were able to donate $8,500 for "Jerry's Kids" in 1999 -- a 60% increase over 1998 and nearly five percent of the total amount of money collected by all firefighters in the Eastern Washington MDA District (eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and northeastern Oregon)!!

2000 Boot Drive

The 2000 boot drive took place on August 17th. Employees donated nearly $2,800 during the two-hour collection period. In the three years that the HFD has participated in the MDA campaign, they have donated over $22,000 to support the work of this charity.

Excerpted from Hanford Reach, August 23, 1999, October 4, 1999, and September 18, 2000