OLDS — A rooftop campaign undertaken by the Olds Fire Department to raise money for muscular dystrophy (MD) last weekend raised $7,550.
That’s short of the $10,000 goal listed on a sign on the fire hall lawn during the weekend.
Muscular dystrophy is a collection of rare inherited conditions that cause muscles to weaken and break down over time. As a result, those afflicted can lose the ability to walk and may eventually need a wheelchair to get around.
There’s no known cure for the disease, but some treatments can help patients cope with it to some degree.
Firefighters ascended an aerial fire truck ladder to the roof of the fire hall just after 12 noon Friday and camped out in a little tent pitched there until Sunday afternoon.
Firefighters took donations from members of the public who came by in vehicles or in person.
Several activities were held, including rides on the aerial ladder and tours of the fire hall. Kids could also use a hose to put out “fires” in a small cutout of a house.
This was the third straight year that the rooftop campout was held.
Last year, the Olds Fire Department crushed its fundraising goal by raising $18,940, far above their initial $10,000 goal.
In 2021, they raised about $2,000 in a campaign in which a mannequin, Rescue Randy, was placed up on the roof instead of firefighters, due to COVID restrictions.
Organizing committee chair Nikolaus Nieder has a few theories for why the numbers were down from last year.
For one thing, he said fewer firefighters were involved this year because some went up north to the Drayton Valley area to fight wildfires.
A recruitment class practice was also held Saturday, thereby cutting down on things that could be done.
He also noted that the threatening, cloudy weather was “not in our favour.”
Nieder has another theory for the lower numbers as well.
“I also personally think that a part of the reason is that the Canadian inflation puts a lot of people in a position where they must look after themselves first before they can spare their money on someone else, which I am OK with,” he wrote in an email.
All that said, Nieder is looking forward to next year’s edition of the campout.
