TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa firefighters are back at city intersections collecting donations for their Fill the Boot Campaign.
This is the first time in five years that the Tulsa Fire Department can resume its Muscular Dystrophy Association fundraising campaign. Firefighters will be out and about collecting money for MDA intersections until Saturday.
They said the city ordinance kept them from collecting on streets for the last few years, but that ordinance has changed and one family is saying a prayer of thanks.
“The impact of a few people giving a few dollars or change has impacted us dramatically," Sherri Daley said.
Her son, Luke, is soon to be 25, but at just 3 years old he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic disorder that causes muscle weakness and muscle loss.
“As the time progressed, he quit walking at about age 11 and was in a wheelchair full-time by about 13, and he wears a mask full-time he has to have assistance breathing," Daley said.
Luke said since he was diagnosed, he and his family relied on the Muscular Dystrophy Association for support.
“They’ve helped a lot in the past with equipment and just all that through the years and all the clinic and all that. They helped pay for that…and that’s really gone a long way," Luke said.
For the Muscular Dystrophy Association, every dollar counts.
“2017 and before, we were always allowed to collect on the streets and those totals were sometimes upwards of $200,000," Andrew Little with Tulsa Fire said.
Little said when the city passed an ordinance that prohibited Tulsa Fire from collecting on the streets, collections took a toll.
“The totals were so drastically different that it’s staggering…I mean it went from $250,000 to $8,000 one year and if you think about the impact that that has on your neighbors…I mean, that’s a big deal," Little said.
Daley said the funds raised from the boot collection campaign do not just give her son resources, it literally gives him life.
“The money they collect on the streets right now, will stay here locally going to camp, but they have helped us with wheelchairs, he has to have something to breathe, he has to have something to help him cough," she said.
If you don't carry cash or change, you can still make a donation by visiting the MDA's website by clicking here.
Trending Stories:
- Tulsa man wants answers after receiving State Fair parking tickets
- DOWNLOAD the 2 News Oklahoma app for alerts
- Police looking for four missing men in Okmulgee
- FOLLOW 2 News Oklahoma on Facebook
- Christmas movie being filmed in Claremore
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
