The Selma Fire Department raised nearly $8,000 for the muscular dystrophy association through its annual Fill the Boot campaign. It was the largest donation the department has been able to contribute through Fill the Boot.

About 400-600 male newborns are diagnosed with muscular dystrophy each year. It isn’t cheap to research cures for the disease or to treat kids to MDA summer camp, where kids to enjoy all kinds of activities they might not normally get to do.

According to Christy Cruze, the fundraising coordinator for MDA, it costs about $2,000 to send a child to summer camp and every minute of research is $65.

With the donation the fire department made, hours of research can be funded.

Fill the Boot is a fundraiser the firefighters take seriously each year.

Each of the shifts have a friendly competition against one another to see who can raise the most, but the biggest winner is always MDA and the people it helps.