The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
There were no flames in sight, but Flin Flon firefighters were nevertheless out in full force Friday on Third Ave. Instead of battling a red-hot blaze with a fire hose, they tackled the debilitating disease of muscular dystrophy with a boot into which passing motorists kindly dropped cash donations. "We have a lot of very generous people in this city," said Fire Chief Jim Petrie after wrapping up the Ninth Annual Boot Drive for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada. The fundraiser typically raises in the neighbourhood of $5,000 each year, though the final tally from Friday's campaign is not yet available. What Petrie likes best about the Boot Drive is that 100 per cent of the money goes toward research and supportive services for people with muscular dystrophy, a hereditary disease characterized by gradual wasting of the muscles. "We do have individuals in our community that are recipients from the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and we have ended up getting more back into our area than we have raised," noted Petrie. From 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., a friendly check-stop was set up near KFC, with drivers donating by rolling down their windows and dropping cash into a boot held out by the firefighters. Hundreds of motorists passed through, and those who did so during the final hour of the campaign saw a special guest ? Sparky the Fire Dog, the department's mascot. "Sparky didn't want to get wet," said Petrie, explaining the giant dog's belated appearance. Even before Friday's Boot Drive, the fire department had collected just under $41,000 for the charity since the fundraiser began in 1996. For more information on the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada, log onto www.mdac.ca or phone 1-800-565-1601.
