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Community Corner

Go to Jail, Go Directly to Jail ... for a Good Cause

The Muscular Dystrophy Association will be arresting high-profile "jailbirds," who will have to raise "bail" for the group to be freed.

This just in….

We have a news tip there’s going to be a big bust next month, with scores of Plainfield officials and dignitaries getting locked up.

It makes for an attention-grabbing headline, but the mock dragnet is really part of a fundraiser to generate “bail” money to help send kids with muscular dystrophy to summer camp in Ingleside.

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It’s a promotion the Muscular Dystrophy Association, headquartered in Downers Grove, is waging to raise cash for camp. Each jailbird will be looking to raise $1,600, enough money to pay tuition for two children to go to camp.

Plainfield Township Trustee Tony Fremarek, Plainfield Township Clerk Anita Gerardy, Cameron Bettin, Plainfield Park District Director Cameron Bettin, the Plainfield Post Office's Paul Alverez and Plainfield Patch editor Karen Sorensen are among about 100 “jail birds” who are to be arrested on July 21.

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High-profile convicts will surrender themselves or get a ride in the MDA “paddy wagon” to the , where they'll serve one-hour sentences -- and get a free lunch. They have to stay at the bar (what a punishment) until they make their bail.

“It’s a way of giving back,” Fremarek said. “It’s good to see the Tap House Grill, a new business, getting involved with the community.”

On his “locked up” Web site, Fremarek already has raised $190 of his bail. There is no one place to find links to all the jailbird's bail sites, organizers say, so look for an e-mail soon that will take you to a site where you can pledge.

The money raised will directly impact the lives of local families who are affected by any of the 43 forms of muscular dystrophy, including ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, fundraising coordinator Cassie Vedros said.

“The communities surrounding Plainfield understand the vital importance of what MDA does for those we serve," she said. "This lock-up event allows the MDA to provide comprehensive medical care, support groups and life-saving research for our local children and adults.”

“We also give many thanks to the Tap House Grill for their continued support to MDA’s efforts,” she said.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through worldwide research, comprehensive services and far reaching professional and public health education. For more information, call Vedros at 630-598-0700.

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