Boot drive exceeds $40K fundraising goal

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This article was published 12/03/2025 (190 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The results are in from this year’s Brandon Fire and Emergency Services rooftop campout and boot drive, with thousands of dollars donated to three local charities, says firefighter and event organizer Kyle Martin.

“Our goal was $40,000 and thanks to our generous community, we raised $46,590.14,” Martin exclaimed.

For four days and three very cold nights, Martin and many other first responders collected donations for muscular dystrophy, the Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba and the Brandon Firefighters Charity Fund.

“It seemed like the community was very energized and involved this year,” Martin said. “We also had more volunteers helping with the boot drive than I’ve seen in several years. And I think that brought an energy to the people who were donating.

“We saw a lot of people smiling and laughing as they drove past and seemed to be having a lot of fun putting money in the boots.”

The two-part fundraising campaign kicked off last Tuesday outside No. 2 firehall at 1301 13th St. BFES members took donations from drivers who slowed down in front of the hall to toss money into the boots.

Dozens of first responders, including paramedics and firefighters, volunteered to take shifts for the boot drive, as did personnel from the 911 dispatch centre.

But only four firefighters spent three nights camping on the firehall’s roof — Martin, Corbin Mariash and brothers Travis and Matthew Tannas.

Overnight lows during their campout dipped down to -20 C with the wind chill, and daytime temperatures hovered around -10 to -15 C, with one day of flurries. Martin said they “felt it.”

“It was a little cold the first night, and our heater wasn’t working very well, so we switched it out for the other nights. Once we did that, we couldn’t see our breath anymore, so that was good,” Martin said as he laughed.

Firefighters across Canada have been partners and supporters of Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC), helping Canadians affected by neuromuscular disorders since 1954.

In 2017, local firefighters decided to collect donations for muscular dystrophy as well as the Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba and the Brandon Firefighters Charity Fund to make it a tri-charity campout.

This year’s fundraiser in Brandon was the 10th, and even though the COVID-19 pandemic created an interruption from 2020 to 2023, Martin told the Sun they have raised “just over $300,000 over the years.”

Funds raised have helped purchase motorized wheelchairs, custom orthotics, leg braces, wheelchair ramps and additional medical equipment.

Every dollar helps, said David Kron, executive director of the Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba. He estimated the non-profit receives between $12,000 and $15,000 each year from the firefighters’ campaign.

“We want to use that money to support folks and get them into the community,” Kron said.

“We have a personal support worker program, which is a small little pocket of money that people can apply for, and it helps get them into the community, whether that is paying for the transportation or whether it’s paying for the aid,” he said.

“We just don’t want folks to be housebound, especially in the winter.”

At the end of last year’s fundraiser, firefighters were about $500 shy of their goal.

That’s why Martin said he was bracing for fewer donations this year, given the “tough financial times” many people are going through.

“But we had a lot of people who stopped by to bring baking, food — really anything they could give, even if it wasn’t money for the boot,” he said.

“Makes you realize how many kind people are out there,” Martin added. “And for us, there was a lot of exhaustion, but we had fun and are very proud that we met our goal and will be able to deliver larger than expected cheques to muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy within the coming weeks.”

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