Brookhaven firefighters turned fundraising efforts into a goldenopportunity recently.

The Brookhaven Fire Department was presented the MuscularDystrophy Association’s Golden Ax Award for being the MDA’s topfund raiserin Mississippi during the 2006 “Fill The Boot”campaign.

“The Golden Ax goes to the fire department that raised the mostper capita,” said Melissa Leggett, district director of theMDA.

The award is a real firefighter’s ax with a gold-plated head anda small plaque on the handle with the name of the award, thedepartment and the date.

It will be displayed among other awards won by the department onthe wall at Fire Station No. 3, said Brookhaven Fire DepartmentChief Bob Watts.

The Brookhaven Fire Department raised nearly $4,000 for the MDAby asking passersby to “Fill The Boot” during three consecutiveFriday afternoons in May 2006.

“That money will stay in Mississippi,” Leggett said.

Watts said that although the award carries the name of the firedepartment, it was earned by the community.

“We thank the people of this area for contributing and Wal-Martfor allowing us to set up there,” the chief said. “I thinkeveryone’s proud of it. We were all a part of it.”

Watts said his firefighters look forward to the “Fill The Boot”campaign each year and are highly motivated in requestingdonations.

He credits an internal fundraising competition between theshifts for keeping firefighters motivated through the three-weekcampaign. The department’s second shift won the internalcompetition for the second consecutive year.

“The second shift raised more than half of the total amount,”Watts said.

Leggett presented the award to the chief during the Fire ChiefsConference in Jackson Jan. 18.