The Story of Fill the Boot

The Story of Fill the Boot Many of you have never heard the names Butch Snyder and Jim Grigsby. They weren't movie stars, or writers or musicians or the heads of industry. They were firefighters. And while their names may not be familiar, their legacy lives on every year because of an idea they had back in 1954. In that year, Butch and Jim, along with a group of Nevada Firefighters, decided that they wanted to do something good for Jerry's kids. So they grabbed their work boots and headed out into the community with the hope that people would fill those boots with money. The people did, and they haven't stopped. Since that humble beginning in 1954 firefighters' boots have overflowed with coin and cash totaling more than $145 million dollars! Fill the Boot has grown into one of MDA's biggest fund raisers. The money collected over the past forty-four years has funded breakthrough research, clinics, Summer Camp, and medical equipment for thousands and thousands of kids and adults. But, Fill the Boot is not just about ho0e for people with neuromuscular disease, it is about remembering. In a sad twist of irony, both Butch Snyder and Jim Grigsby, two of the Nevada Firefighters who took those first boots out in 1954, themselves succumbed to neuromuscular disease and died early deaths. The story of Fill the Boot is not a sad one, however. It is a story that celebrates life. It is a story that tells us about the spirit of human caring. It is a story that tells us how a few people can challenge anything, even a disease, if they have the generosity of hear, like that of a firefighter.