This year’s “Give burns the boot” fundraising drive raised over $18,200 according to boot drive coordinator Lt. Ernest Weant.
“Barrow County citizens have proven once again how generous they really are. Even during this tough economical time, we saw citizens digging through their cars to donate as much as they possibly could,” Weant said.
The total collected locally during the three-day drive was $18,246.
Barrow County Emergency Services was one of more than 100 fire departments throughout the State of Georgia that participated in the 21st annual "Give burns the boot" fund-raiser to benefit the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation.
In the past 20 years, the event has raised over $9 million statewide for the foundation.
Funds collected through the boot drive are used to support the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation's mission of educating the public in burn awareness and prevention, supporting medical facilities in the care of burns in Georgia and assisting burn survivors in their recovery. The foundation fulfills this mission through numerous programs and events, including Camp Oo-U-La in Barrow County.
The work the foundation does is important, Weant said. Every year the firefighters with Barrow County Emergency Services participate in this event and are thrilled to see the generosity of the citizens of Barrow County.
“As far as I can remember this is the most we have ever collected for the Burn Foundation,” Weant said. “It is just incredible to see that kind of generosity.”
