The following is General President Edward Kelly’s column from the June 2025 edition of Fire Fighter International Magazine.
More than 70 years ago, a Boston fire fighter launched what would become one of North America’s most recognizable fundraisers. Coffee cans in hand, George Graney and a group of 20 other Local 718 members went door-to-door, raising $5,000 for a family whose two children had Duchenne muscular dystrophy. That campaign laid the foundation for a lasting partnership between the IAFF and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
Since Brother Graney stood on the floor of the IAFF’s 22nd Convention in Miami in 1954 – and delegates unanimously agreed to support MDA until a cure is found – IAFF members have raised $710 million to fund research, provide care, and help families living with neuromuscular disease.
That money continues to make a real difference:
- In the last five years, MDA has helped bring 20 treatments to market, and as of December 2024, there are over 25 FDA-approved therapies available.
- MDA Care Centers, located at more than 150 top healthcare institutions across the U.S., provide expert clinical care to over 70,000 people each year.
- More than 800 children annually attend free in-person and virtual MDA Summer Camps, helping kids with neuromuscular disease build confidence, friendships, and life skills.
- In 2023, MDA launched its Family Getaway Program, offering weekend retreats at accessible resorts where families can connect with the broader MDA community and recharge. Last year, the program hosted 46 families and more than 150 attendees.
This is the impact IAFF members help create every time we Fill the Boot.
The IAFF has also long supported MDA behind the scenes – building momentum for campaigns by training volunteers, producing marketing materials, and providing administrative staffing and resources to the charity. Under past leadership at both organizations, MDA paid the IAFF an annual service fee to support that work. That payment was as much as $1.15 million in 2018. When I became General President, we committed to changing this structure. In Fiscal Year 2024, the annual fee was eliminated. These changes streamline operations and reduce any perception of impropriety, while keeping the focus where it belongs: on the families we’re all working to support.
The MDA was blessed with new leadership in November 2020, when Dr. Donald Wood became the organization’s president and CEO. I was sworn in as IAFF General President not too long after, in April 2021. Under Dr. Wood’s transformative leadership, the MDA has strengthened its research program, reimagined its approach to care, and expanded advocacy efforts. He has championed our shared mission to find a cure for neuromuscular disease.
Dr. Wood was a driving force behind the IAFF and MDA’s decision to begin studying the link between firefighting and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This debilitating neurodegenerative disease affects a person’s ability to move, speak, eat, and breathe. We’re exploring the current research, assessing data gaps, and beginning to develop the framework for a fire fighter–specific ALS research effort. This early-stage project reflects our promise to protect your health and back the MDA’s science and research efforts.
Don retired last month, having left the MDA – and our partnership – far better than he found them. Both are on solid footing thanks to his good work.
We’ve also improved how we support the IAFF-MDA partnership on the ground. I’ve appointed 12 IAFF members to serve as District Coordinators – each working as a liaison between our Locals and MDA and IAFF leadership. You can read more about the program and meet the new coordinators.
Affiliates have raised $103 million for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, and 370 Fill the Boot drives are planned for this year. It’s proof of what we all know: our oath is to something larger than ourselves.
It’s hard to imagine that George Graney could have envisioned just how far this effort would go. What started out of a firehouse in South Boston back in 1952 has grown into a nationwide effort – last year alone, more than 775 U.S. Locals raised $10.5 million. It’s extended to Canada, too. Affiliates have raised $103 million for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, and 370 Fill the Boot drives are planned for this year. It’s proof of what we all know: our oath is to something larger than ourselves.
That promise – on the job and in our communities – is what sets this union and its membership apart. When we hold out a boot on the corner or outside a supermarket, we’re not just collecting change – we’re delivering hope. That doesn’t happen without you. To every member and every Local that has carried this tradition forward, thank you. Your dedication makes a difference.
