Bob Loviseck, president of Bloomington Metropolitan Professional Firefighters, said he knew it would be since it was the beginning of Welcome Week.
That’s why he and other local firefighters chose to host a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association outside of the Target parking lot, across from Chick-fil-A, he said.
“We’ve been doing this in this area for the last seven years,” Loviseck said. “In Bloomington, we’ve been holding this fundraiser for about 15 years.”
Loviseck said the MDA and fire departments throughout the country have a relationship that goes back almost 60 years.
“We were one of the first groups to sign on for this kind of fundraising,” Loviseck said.
Each year during Welcome Week, he and other firefighters volunteer their time to stand outside from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and fill firefighter boots with donations.
Danny Gillespie, a sergeant with the City of Bloomington’s Fire Department, said he is in his ninth year of volunteering.
“We always get a really good response from the community,” Gillespie said.
Part of that comes from the way the firefighters handle their fundraising.
Gillespie said they leave it up to the people in cars to decide if they are going to donate.
“We never just go up to cars,” Gillespie said. “We wait for them to make the first move. We try to be courteous.”
Victor Vollrath, a volunteer working alongside Gillespie, watched for car windows to roll down.
When he saw that, or when someone waved him over, he jogged over to the vehicle.
“How are you?” Vollrath said.
Most people were cheerful, handing over their donations — dollar bills, bags of change — before he thanked them and moved on. Usually, the firefighters will raise funds for six days.
This year, Loviseck said they were trying a three-day fundraiser ending Wednesday. But their financial goal remains the same.
“Ten thousand dollars is always my goal,” Loviseck said.
He said they usually meet it or come close.
“In the last 10 years, we’ve collected (around) $100,000,” Loviseck said.
Because of the way the MDA is structured, the money the firefighters raise goes directly to Bloomington families.
DeeDee Bowman’s son Aiden is one of the children benefiting from the firefighters’ efforts.
Because of their fundraising, Aiden has been able to attend a special summer camp in Martinsville for children with muscular dystrophy.
“It’s a relief knowing that there are people there who understand,” Bowman said. “I have more concerns about sending him to other camps.”
Bowman said her son was on the low spectrum of the illness, meaning an untrained eye might not register him as being sick or having a disability.
Bowman said among other things, Aiden needs protein snacks throughout the day and more temperature regulation than normal children.
“When I send him there, I don’t worry,” Bowman said.
Since Aiden is low-spectrum, he doesn’t need some of the things the MDA provides to Bloomington families.
But if he did, the non-profit tries to make as many resources available to families as possible said Kelsey Buettner, a fundraising coordinator for the Indianapolis MDA office.
“Families get access to clinics in Indianapolis, a $500 allotment for medical equipment repair, support groups and some forms of genetic testing,” Buettner said.
Buettner said the fundraising done by the firefighters is the biggest source of income for Bloomington families.
Bowman said she’s grateful for how much the firefighters have done and for the extra steps she’s seen them take.
“I just met Bob today when I came by to drop off snacks for the firefighters,” DeeDee said.
“He said, ‘If you ever need a break, bring Aiden by. Everybody likes to hang out at the fire station.’”
At first, Bowman said she wasn’t sure what to say.
“That’s above and beyond what normal people do when they give to charity,” Bowman said.
Bowman registered Aiden with MDA in Indianapolis as an ambassador for the non-profit.
Aiden doesn’t have many responsibilities, but he will be helping the firefighters collect money on Tuesday. Bowman said she hopes that people who see Aiden will realize that their donations do matter.
“Sometimes when you see the sign you don’t really think about what the money is doing,” Bowman said.
“Maybe if they see the little boy, they can put a face to the sign. The money is going to help him, to find money for a cure. Right now, his disorder doesn’t have a cure.”
