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Ladies and gentlemen,
We are now just 3 weeks away from one of the longest-running traditions in Fairfax County - the annual Fill the Boot Campaign to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Our 2025 campaign will begin on Friday, August 29 with C-shift and will run through Monday, September 1 with A-shift.
For 50 years, active and retired firefighters (both career and volunteer), communications professionals, apparatus mechanics and civilian personnel have collected streetside, in shopping malls, in parking lots, in offices and online for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Due to our efforts, we have had the distinct honor of being the highest collecting municipality in the United States and Canada for several years. With that, we have had a significant hand in funding summer camps, clinics, research and clinical trials that have, in those 50 years, extended the quality and length of life of those individuals and families living with neuromuscular disease. Just in the past 10 years, MDA has had to rebrand from "Jerry's Kids" to "Living Unlimited" and refocus from training on how to adapt to a typical school day to how to adapt to a typical workplace and independent living. We helped do that.
While we have had a number of Fairfax County public safety families that have been directly impacted by neuromuscular disease, research is showing that deployed military members and firefighters are being diagnosed with various neuromuscular diseases, such as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease, at a much higher rate than the general public. Attached is the first-person story of a 2nd generation firefighter from East Hartford, CT whose career was cut short by neuromuscular disease while he was in his prime. This is also about helping our own.
In past years, I have been approached by personnel who ask about alternatives to collecting in intersections. Intersection collecting certainly yields great results, but there is so much more that personnel have done in the past that is also successful. Ideas such as contacting the management company of a strip mall and setting up the apparatus and a table in front of a store or getting permission to put a boot at a restaurant. If your station/shift is interested in a "Virtual Boot" link to collect online donations and make sure your station/shift gets credit, just let me know... it works! Just ask 25! The possibilities are limitless. Our campaign has been successful because each work location, station and shift does something.
One last request: to try to do our part towards making sure more money stays with MDA programs and services instead of signs and stickers, I asked each station to keep their Fill the Boot supplies that are in good condition from last year stored at each work location. By Monday, August 18, please have someone at each station e-mail me and let me know how many packs of the small donation stickers and how many of each of the signs you all have. That way, I can work with the retirees and Service One to get you the supplies you need for a successful collection.
Thank you very much and please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you should have any questions or concerns.
Auth: FC Butler
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Joel Kobersteen
Master Apparatus Technician
Tanker 439, A-Shift
Fairfax County (VA) Fire & Rescue Dept
703-433-1418 - FS39
571-437-4031 - Mobile
Update 8/29/25 from Joel Kobersteen
Thanks very much to C-shift for starting off the 2025 campaign strong! With a busy day of calls and interruptions, they collected a grand total of $41,197.72 for the day!
Thanks to C-shifts collection today, two entire cabins of kids with neuromuscular disease can attend the MDA summer camp and have the best week of their year. This is the impact we are having!
A special tip of the hat to a group of administrative OPS personnel lead by AFC Craven who went out and showed how it's done! Another tip of the hat to Dr. Dan who also took time out of his busy schedule to collect. Bravo!
Top collectors today:
FS10 - $3,679.30
FS26 - $2,840.00
FS41 - $2,469.00
Top collectors per capita today*:
FS15 - $327.88 per person
FS10 - $306.61 per person
FS26 - $284.00 per person
* - Per capita based on minimum staffing of the station without BCs, EMS Supervisors, EMS Specialists, SIPCO, SAFOs and DFCOs.
Again, thanks to C-shift and enjoy your four-day break! Stand by to see how A-shift responds...
*** EDIT: I mistakenly attributed the third top collector to FS11, when in fact it was FS41. A *huge* accomplishment for them! ***
Update 8/30/25 from Joel Kobersteen
First, an apology to 41/C... Friday night, I reported that 11/C took home the third highest collecting station of the day when, in fact, it was 41 that collected $2,509. A very impressive feat! My apologies to 41/C.
On to today!
Today, A-shift took the challenge set forth by C-shift and came out strong! On their first day of collection, A-shift bested C-shifts daily total by over $10,000 by collecting $51,826.91.
Station leaders today were:
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FS39 - $4,756.60
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FS40 - $3,463.35
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FS12 - $3,195.62
Per capita leaders today were:
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FS39 - $679.51 per person
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FS12 - $456.52 per person
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FS32 - $375.98 per person
Top Station so far:
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FS10 - $5,919.30
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FS40 - $5,901.35
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FS39 - $5,236.78
The nearly $52,000 collected today provides up to 100 grants to families for Durable Medical Equipment like lifts to transfer a person from bed to a chair, wheelchairs to provide more independence and leg braces so those with neuromuscular disease can keep walking longer.
Now that B-shift has been able to see what A and C shifts can do, it is their time to shine like our fantastic weather.
Update 8/31/25 from Joel Kobersteen
With a spirit that reminds me of pre-COVID Fill the Boot, B-shift has proven to be a force to be reckoned with. With daily totals going from $41k to $52k to $57k, B-shift threw down a new gauntlet on A-shift.
Station leaders today:
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FS11 - $8,241.47
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FS5 - $5,583.64
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FS26 - $3,960.00
Per Capita leaders today:
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FS5 - $930.61per person
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FS11 - $515.09 per person
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FS26 - $396.00 per person
Top stations through the campaign:
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FS11 - $11,162.47
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FS40 - $7,724.35
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FS10 - $6,831.30
A lot is put on the fact that we collect the most in the US and Canada, but the real point of pride is the fact that, thanks to your hard work and temporary discomfort over the years, we have been able to fund camps, research, treatments, equipment and other essentials that make the lives of the families affected by neuromuscular disease longer and better. Just one such example is a medication named Spinraza, which, in the last 10 years, was researched, formulated, given a trial and debuted. This amazing medication, along with testing, has those born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, which was fatal within 18 months, living into childhood with no symptoms. Spinraza has also shown promise as children with other types of Spinal Muscular Atrophy progress from requiring a wheelchair to walking unaided. We are making a huge impact.
Again, I thank everyone for their hard work during this campaign, and we look to A-shift to bring it home!
Final Update from Joel Kobersteen
The sun has now set on yet another Fairfax County Fill the Boot and the results were fantastic. Thanks to the $43,838.92 collected by A-shift, the $3,252 collected through online donations, the $755.00 collected by DPSC and other donations, the campaign wrapped up with an amazing final collection total of $203,053.52.
This not only tops our 2024 total of by almost $30,000, but also secures Fairfax County as the highest collecting municipality in the United States and Canada once again this year! As I've said before, that distinction means that we are largely responsible for the advances made in research, treatments, medications and therapies to help find cures for the over 300 neuromuscular diseases that MDA serves. We are also largely responsible for funding the "one-stop shop" MDA Care Center, where those with neuromuscular disease can visit several specialties, like pulmonologists, cardiologists, orthopedists, occupational therapists, neurologists, nutritionists, social workers and much more all in the same location so they don't have to run all over town coordinating all of those appointments. In addition, we are largely responsible for funding MDA Summer Camps where children with neuromuscular disease can be among friends with similar challenges, participating in activities specially designed for them and generally having the best week of their year. THIS is why we are proud to be #1.
Leading stations of the day:
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FS29: $3,502.18
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FS40: $3,260.10
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FS24: $2,902.13
Leading stations per capita of the day:
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FS29: $350.22 per person
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FS39: $336.22 per person
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FS13: $324.98 per person
In terms of the entire campaign, here is the leaderboard:
Top collecting station/shift in one day:
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FS11/B: $8,241.47
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FS5/B: $5,583.64
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FS39/A: $4,756.60
Top collecting station/shift per capita in one day:
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FS5/B: $930.61 per person
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FS39/A: $679.51 per person
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FS11/B: $515.09 per person
Top collecting station overall:
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FS11: $11,429.47
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FS40: $10,984.45
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FS25: $9,335.29
Again, huge thanks go out to the active, retired, sworn, civilian, career and volunteer members of the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, Police Department, Department of Public Safety Communications, Department of Vehicle Services, the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Retirement Association, Citizen Emergency Response Team and all others who have collected and worked behind the scenes to make our campaign the success that it is. As I have always said, Fill the Boot is the one thing that brings all of Fairfax County Public Safety together for a common goal.
I know not everything went perfectly this weekend... except for the weather... that was exceptional. If you have any questions, complaints, observations or notes about the campaign, please let me know. This is our campaign, and it has gotten to the status it has because of the ownership we all take in it.
Please see the attached document for a complete breakdown of the campaign.
Again, thank you.
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