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 Friday at four collection sites in Bonney Lake, Sumner and Edgewood.

Look for the firefighters from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on:

• Friday at Valley Avenue and Main Street in Sumner;

• July 22 at 9th Street East and 182nd Avenue East in Bonney Lake;

• Aug. 19 at 200th Avenue East and South Prairie Road East in Bonney Lake; and

• August 24 at 24th Street East and Meridian Avenue East in Edgewood.

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, East Pierce firefighters raised a record-breaking $17,075.

“The great thing is that the money we raise stays local,” said Firefighter Andrew House in a press release. House is organizing the event. “Thanks to your generous support, 27 families in East Pierce benefited and another 700 families in the Tacoma area were also helped.”

The goal this year is to raise $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.