CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi Fire Department will be hitting intersections over the next three Fridays looking for your help filling the boot.
Captain Thomas Cruz joined us live to talk about his love of helping young people affected by muscular dystrophy.
"It's something as a fire fighter, we're supposed to just be doing. We tend to see people on their worst days so it's something like this, with an opportunity like this we're able to make people's best days better."
Fill the Boot co-coordinator Carlos Torres spoke with us about CCFD's unique commitment to fundraising and finding a cure for muscular dystrophy. The department ranked number four in the nation two years ago for their record-breaking fundraiser.
"The only three city's that beat us was Fairfax County, Virginia, and of course Philadelphia and Phoenix."
CCFD has raised over half a million dollars since the city first began participating roughly around ten years ago.
Torres recounted the story of how the campaign first began raising money for kids affected by the disease 70 years ago in a small Boston fire station.
"Firefighters went out on the streets with cans and boots and raised a lot of money." "For me that's why we do it, they made a commitment to find a cure and that commitment's not over were going to continue that commitment until we can find a cure for this terrible disease known as MDA or neuromuscular diseases.
To learn more about backstory behind the Fill the Boot campaign, watch the interview here: