BEHIND BARS FOR GOOD: Over 100 North Lexington Community Figures Get “Locked Up” for Having a “Big Heart”

LEXINGTON, Ky., August 2, 2006 – On July 25, prominent figures in the North Lexington community, were escorted by volunteer “arresting officers” to a mock jail at the Ramada Conference Center on North Broadway. These “jailbirds,” accused of having a “big heart,” had agreed to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) to be released on “good behavior.”

This annual MDA Lock-Up in the North Lexington community aimed to raise $30,000, but crushed their goal by fund-raising over $43,000 in “bail.” Every $600 raised by the jailbirds is enough to send one child to an annual summer camp, located at Camp Crescendo in Lebanon Junction, Kentucky, where they have a fun-filled week making new friends, trying new activities, and developing increased self-confidence!

Proceeds from the Lock-Up will not only benefit MDA’s Summer Camp, but also assist more than 300 families in Central & Eastern Kentucky. MDA provides assistance in the purchases of wheelchairs, leg braces and communication devices for patients and offers two support groups. MDA’s Summer Camp is an exciting week at Camp Crescendo in Lebanon Junction, KY for children ages 6-21 living with any one of 43 neuromuscular diseases.

MDA (www.mda.org) is a non-profit organization not funded by United Way or the Federal Government and is the number one provider of neuromuscular research. This voluntary health agency works to defeat more than 43 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. The largest fundraiser for MDA is the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, which will be featured locally on ABC-WTVQ Channel 36 beginning at 11:35 p.m. on September 3 and continuing through 7 p.m. on September 4.

For more information about MDA North Lexington Lock-Up, please contact Ericka Mattingly at (859) 299-6760 or emattingly@mdausa.org.
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