Published: September 01, 2008 10:35 pm         

Enid firefighters raise $10,367.42 for MDA telethon

Enid firefighters raised more than $10,000 during the Labor Day weekend to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association with their “Pass the Boot” drive.

Capt. Mark Meier said firefighters raised $10,367.42 for Jerry’s Kids, through 5:30 p.m. Monday. Meier said Enid residents were generous to the firefighters.

“I was impressed with the generosity of the public. Gen-erally people are very, very generous,” he said.

Firefight-ers were located at a number of busy stores. Enid firefighters have been involved in the MDA telethon since the late 1970s, when a local firefighter’s daughter was afflicted with one of the neuromuscular diseases included in muscular dystrophy, said Fire Chief Phil Clover.

Firefighters offer a fire boot to customers as they come and go from the stores, and Clover said most of them are very generous.

“We started to help a firefighter’s daughter and we haven’t quit since,” he said.

Clover thanked the citizens of Enid for their assistance every year, saying it is apparent they are being very generous this year.

“In my opinion people have become more generous over the last several years. There seems to be more of a giving spirit than we’ve had even in the past,” he said.

Clover said most of the firefighters enjoy the pass the boot project and have been very productive.

The 2008 MDA Labor Day Telethon raised more than $65 million nationwide for MDA research.