Day 209: Filled The Boot

As I have previously mentioned, I am in awe of firefighters.  Along with police officers and members of the armed forces, firefighters are heroes that live among us and we should all be grateful for what they do.  Besides the obvious (running into burning buildings), firefighters do a ton to help out and give back to their community.  One of the ways that they do that is the annual Fill the Boot campaign.  You have probably seen firefighters in your community standing at stoplights with fire boots, asking for donations.  The reason they are doing that (at least here in Chicago) is to raise money for burn camp.  Camp I Am Me is a summer camp for children who have suffered from significant burn injuries.  The camp provides an atmosphere where children have the opportunity to have a normal summer among their peers, free from any self-conscious feelings they may have due to their scars.  It is something truly special that helps these kids build their self-esteem through different camping activities.  So today, for my random act of kindness, I "filled the boot" while waiting at a stop light.  I nearly got the fireman hit by a car while calling him over, but luckily he made it away safely.