Firefighters from East Pierce Fire and Rescue will continue to collect donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association through the annual “Fill the Boot” campaign. Firefighters will stake out three collection sites in Bonney Lake, Sumner and Edgewood.

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

• 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 county 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. “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.