SWAMPSCOTT – Fire fighters will be out Tuesday on the Swampscott Mall access road collecting voluntary “toll” for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) 2022 campaign. This is one of the many times they have been raising funds in this way, from Oct. 15 to Oct. 17 as well as on Tuesday.
“It goes back to 1954 when a gentleman stopped by a firehouse in Boston,” said Jim Snow, Captain and President of Swampscott Fire Fighters Union. The gentleman asked if the fire fighters could help him with his son. Since then, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) established the MDA as its charity of choice, meaning that MDA would be IAFF’s primary donation choice.
People drive through the Swampscott Mall access road making donations ranging from pennies to hundreds of dollars. Different from a toll, the voluntary toll amount is a personal choice. In return, donors would receive a piece of candy and a sticker saying, “thank you for your donation.”
Swampscott Fire Fighters Union has been doing this for a very long time. Around 15 years ago, the select board stopped them from standing on the street because of legal issues. The fire fighters reached out to the Senate Court who owned the Swampscott Mall, and they were permitted to move the location to the mall access road, Snow recalled.
Muscular dystrophy is a group of diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass, according to Mayo clinic. The abnormal genes interfere with the production of proteins hence causing abnormal muscles. There is no cure for the disease, but some treatment could allow patients with muscular dystrophy to manage symptoms and slow the course of the disease. According to Snow, most of the donation fund will go to research.
“I hope that there’s a cure someday soon in my lifetime,” said Snow. “It’s an awful disease. The only thing we can do is raise money and hope.”
Snow hopes to repeat the fundraising at the day before Thanksgiving’s day if weather permits. The fire fighters target to raise at least $5,000 for the issue. Marblehead and Lynn fire departments are also involved in the fundraising.
Sylvia Chen can be reached at [email protected]
