This year’s Be Their Muscle campaign has raised more than $641,000 to support MDA Summer Camp for children and adolescents with muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases, and to help advance research and care for these patient populations.
Resulting from a partnership between the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and Burn Boot Camp, this year’s campaign has included 400 Burn Boot Camp locations, with more than 150,000 members participating in fundraising and community events across the U.S. Those interested can still donate on the campaign’s website.
The event has exceeded last year’s total, enabling the MDA to send more than 800 children to Summer Camp at no cost to families. Ten years since its launch, Be Their Muscle has raised about $3.8 million to support MDA’s mission.
“This campaign is about far more than fundraising. It’s about creating life-changing experiences and core memories for children living with neuromuscular diseases,” Ruth Ann Daily, MDA’s chief development officer, said in a press release. “The Burn Boot Camp community’s generosity helps make MDA Summer Camp possible for hundreds of families each year, and we’re deeply grateful for their partnership.”
Morgan Kline, who founded Burn Boot Camp with her husband, Devan Kline, and serves as its CEO, added: “Our Burn Boot Camp community continues to demonstrate the incredible impact that can happen when people come together for a greater purpose.”
A decade of support
For 10 years, Burn Boot Camp’s support to the MDA has helped make possible new treatments, including the first therapies approved for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and the first gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy. It also helped develop new therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Pompe disease, and Friedreich’s ataxia.
Besides scientific research and drug development, funds raised have helped support families through the MDA Resource Center and MDA Connect, which offers the opportunity to talk with an MDA specialist. Additionally, Burn Boot Camp has supported MDA’s Mentorship Programs and Scholarship Program to make higher education more accessible and help young people with neuromuscular diseases find new opportunities and career paths. MDA Family Getaways, which offer individuals living with neuromuscular disease and their families a chance to connect and have fun, also received support.
The partnership also strengthened MDA’s nationwide Care Center Network, a hub for clinical trials and specialized neuromuscular care, and the Neuromuscular Observational Research, a platform that connects real-world clinical insights to accelerate discoveries.
As someone who has experienced the impact of MDA Summer Camp firsthand, I’m so grateful for Burn Boot Camp’s support year after year.
This year’s MDA Summer Camp will host 23 in-person camp sessions and one virtual session across the country through Aug. 21. The experience aims to help build confidence and independence for children and young adults through activities such as sports, games, and arts and crafts.
During the camp, trained volunteers support daily activities and personal care, creating safe and accessible environments, while health professionals ensure that medications and treatments are taken.
“As someone who has experienced the impact of MDA Summer Camp firsthand, I’m so grateful for Burn Boot Camp’s support year after year,” said Lily Sander, MDA National Ambassador. “Devan, Morgan, and the entire Burn community help make it possible for kids living with neuromuscular diseases to build confidence, make friends, and create memories that last a lifetime, at no cost to families!”
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