Four Airdrie firefighters came down from the roof of the Toad 'n Turtle Pub yesterday (February 22), exhausted but happy after 72 hours of raising funds and awareness for Muscular Dystrophy research.  

The four, Billy Dowling,Travis Smutt, Justin Fuhriman, and Isaiah Hoeppner ascended for the fundraiser on Wednesday morning with the goal of raising $23,000 in donations from the community to purchase mobility equipment, provide support services and fund research to find a cure for neuromuscular disorders.

Travis Smutt, who was enduring his fourth campout in the cold said the weather this year certainly wasn't as bad, for a February, as it has been in the past.  "You know what?  This year the weather worked out for us so that we're not as comfortable as in previous years.  Hopefully, the donations didn't slow down because the weather is warm.   People seemed to give a little bit more when we were in significant amounts of discomfort," he laughs.  "Overall this year was so awesome."

While there were still some more events to go on after the firefighters came down from the roof and no final total has yet been calculated for the year, Smutt said they were sure of one goal that had been met.  

"So we were coming into this event, right on the verge of breaking that $100,000 mark (overall).  I don't have the exact numbers offhand but with the rough estimates that we've gotten so far from this event we definitely have passed the $100,000 mark which is exceptionally awesome."

The 72 hours included several other fundraising events like yesterday morning's pancake breakfast, a silent auction and a live band playing last night at the Toad 'n Turtle.

Several visitors also kept the firefighters company during the event, including Claire Spencer and Leah Murray from the Air 106.1 morning show who broadcast live during two mornings.  

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