Nichole Duff has been with the Kokomo Fire Department for over two decades – 23 years to be exact. She is currently an EMT at Station 1, but has taken several fire classes and received certifications in various disciplines over the course of her career. Duff is also involved in the Pink Heals Tour and Goodfellows of Kokomo, and also serves as the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) coordinator for the local Fill the Boot campaign – a role she has occupied for 20 years.
“Early on in my firefighter career, the then-MDA coordinator asked if I would help with the campaign by delivering meals and picking up the money bags from all the stations,” Duff says. “Ever since then I’ve been hooked, and became the MDA coordinator the next year.”
Since 1954, firefighters across the country have collected critical funds in the community, $1 at a time, as part of the Fill the Boot program, to raise money for the MDA, which Duff plays an integral role in for the Kokomo Fire Department. The partnership between MDA and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) began when the IAFF signed a proclamation designating MDA as its charity of choice, vowing to continue raising awareness and funds to ensure effective treatments and therapies are found. The dollars raised through Fill the Boot fund the MDA’s mission of empowering people living with neuromuscular disease to live longer, more independent lives.
“MDA is the number-one voluntary health organization in the U.S. for people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases,” Duff says. “This program raises funds to support MDA’s mission to empower people with neuromuscular diseases to live fulfilling and independent lives. Contributions to Fill the Boot fund groundbreaking research for promising treatments and therapies, and provide families with the highest-quality care from the best doctors and medical teams in the country.”
Duff picks three consecutive days in August for each platoon to collect, while still making fire and medical calls. Before the collection dates, Duff goes into the community to receive donated food for lunch and dinner for all three days for the platoons. After each day, she takes the money collected to a local credit union to count, making it a friendly competition between each station and platoon. When all of the money has been counted, the Kokomo Fire Department presents a check to an MDA family.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the partnership between the IAFF and the MDA. The Kokomo Fire Department has been collecting for over 50 years, and this year collected a record-breaking $40,000 in three days (August 21, 22 and 23) with six different locations in the city. Last year saw $39,195 collected, ranking Kokomo number-one in the state in terms of fundraising dollars. Fill the Boot has raised over $700 million dollars since 1954, making firefighters the top fundraisers in MDA history.
“The reason the campaign is successful is because of my brothers and sisters at the Kokomo Fire Department,” Duff says. “They have always been 100% engaged in the Fill the Boot campaign, with every single one of our members taking the time to get out in the streets and collect. It’s always nice to engage with the community in a non-emergent scene.”
Duff also looks forward to the MDA summer camp every year. It’s an event for kids and young adults to gain independence, try new things, build confidence, and spend time with peers who understand what it’s like to live with a neuromuscular disease. Duff attends firefighter day at the camp one day a year, to see all of the campers’ smiling faces. “This makes a huge impact on why I continue to be the MDA’s Fill the Boot coordinator,” Duff says. “The most rewarding part of my job is being able to help others and give back to the community. Once you hear the stories of how MDA has helped them, it gives you a sense of purpose of what this is all about and why we do Fill the Boot every year.”
Duff is proud of her role in the Kokomo community.
“It’s a privilege, humbling, and an honor to wear the badge and represent the Kokomo Fire Department,” she says. “I enjoy being able to help others and make a meaningful impact on people’s lives.”
