Amelia Island MDA Fundraiser a Success

When I received a call two months ago from an MD representative to participate in a charity event, I wasn’t a bit surprised considering my involvement in the community. I was told as a volunteer my job would be to raise money for MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) and Jerry’s kids. I thought, I can do that.

After all I had walked the neighborhood before, collecting dollars for various charities and raised money through the numerous organizations I belong to.  This volunteer initiative sounded like a much bigger commitment, but I decided to take it on, for the kids above all.  I was committing to ‘go to jail’ for Jerry’s kids and raise money for ‘my bail’. The concept seemed a little quirky and new to me in the beginning, but it quickly grew on me. Before I knew it, I was dead set on making bail.

I started by thinking of everyone I knew and brainstorming creative ways to inform them of my soon-to-be capture and that raising money for Jerry’s kids was the only way to make my bail to get out of jail.  I listed all of the organizations I belong to and emailed every member an MDA flyer, asking them to logon to my MDA site and donate.

On the final day of the Fernandina Beach, FL MDA Lock Up I was picked up at our Prudential Chaplin Williams real estate office by a police officer in his squad car.  At the time, a thought quickly summoned, this was the first time I will have ever been in a police squad car.  He hand cuffed me and took me to the Fernandina Beach Womens’ Club which served as our jail.

After I was un-cuffed, finger-printed and dressed in jail bird clothes, I had my picture taken.  This was more fun than I thought it would be.  (My husband even came and took pictures of me!)

Each jailbird was assigned a place in a room with desks and phones and ‘forced’ to make calls for contribution for the remainder of their ‘time’.  I called friends, family, and acquaintances for approximately 2 hours.  Each time a person donated $100 or more, I rang a bell and popped a balloon for a prize.  I rang the bell 2 times! The more contributions I was able to raise by phone, the more phone calls I wanted to make.

All totaled, I raised over $750 for Jerry’s kids, which will afford one deserving child the a slot at camp! Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island, FL raised over $45,000 for families in the Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia area who suffer from Muscular Dystrophy.