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Firefighter's boot for MDA collection

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Honeywell Inc.
Description (Brief)

Fire fighter's boot, black rubber with yellow accents (band at the center, band along the bottom of the foot). Rough textile (wool) interior with two semi-circular pull straps at the top. White square at heel reads "10 MEN'S WIDE." Textured along bottom edge of the foot with heavy textured tread on bottom. Boot is covered with approximately eight circular stickers for the MDA campaign showing a young boy being carried by a fire fighter and the slogan "I HELPED FIRE FIGHTERS FIGHT MDA." There is also a card bent around the front of the shin and stuck on with stickers that shows the same image and reads "HELP FIRE FIGHTERS FIGHT MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY."

Throughout the 1900s, national fundraising efforts became annual traditions in communities throughout the United States. At street corners across the nation, the International Association of Fire Fighters’ Fill the Boot campaign has raised funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association since 1954.

Description
This firefighter’s boot is decorated with fundraising stickers for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. It was used by firefighters collecting donations for MDA in Fairfax County, Virginia.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association began in Chicago, Illinois in 1950, established by Paul Cohen and a community of people affected by the condition. Today, MDA helps to fund research into neuromuscular disease and treatments, supports medical database development, works to connect medical experts in the field, and advocates for and empowers members of the neuromuscular disease community.
The connection with firefighters developed a few years after MDA began. In 1954, members of Boston Firefighters Local 718 initiated a fundraising campaign for MDA, collecting donations in fire boots. This led to a partnership between MDA and the International Association of Fire Fighters that continues to the present day, with annual “Fill the Boot” campaigns across the country over Labor Day Weekend. As of 2024, the IAFF estimates its members have raised over 700 million dollars for MDA in the 70 years of their partnership.
Credit Line
Gift of Joel Kobersteen, Master Technician and IAFF Local 2068 coordinator for Fairfax County’s MDA campaign
late 20th / early 21st century
ID Number
2015.0334.01
catalog number
2015.0334.01
Object Name
boot, firefighter's
Physical Description
rubber (overall material)
paper (part: stickers / card material)
wool (inside material)
Measurements
overall: 17 in x 5 in x 12 1/4 in; 43.18 cm x 12.7 cm x 31.115 cm
place made
United States
See more items in
Home and Community Life: Fire Fighting and Law Enforcement
Giving in America
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_1801154
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b2-6224-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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