Local "Lockup" Raises Money for the MDA

The University of West Georgia raised some $3,500 for local Muscular Dystrophy Association efforts recently.

The annual “lockup” event saw University Police Chief Thomas Mackel riding the back of a police cruiser.

“You don’t realize how little room there is back there,” Mackel said.

Still, “it was fun,” said Mackel, who raised $675.

UWG Cpl. Mike Keener and Officer Caroline Martin served “warrants” on university faculty and staff who were participating in the fundraising effort. Law enforcement officers from Carroll County and Carrollton served similar warrants on business and community leaders, said Tom Barfield, executive director of the MDA of Northwest Georgia, which includes 19 counties in the region.

The officers picked up their charges and brought them to The Inn at Oaklawn Farms, where Longhorn Steakhouse restaurant catered a spread for the fundraiser.

The arrestees called friends and family, who posted bail to get them out of the clink.
In all, the Carrollton Lockup raised just over $42,000 — $12,000 more than last year’s event, Barfield said.

“It’s pretty awesome to see how these close-knit communities come together,” Barfield said. “We have seen corporate giving drop off a little bit. But individual giving is still strong.”

The money helps local families, Barfield said. It sends children to Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge. It also buys flu shots and supports clinics at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite and the Emory ALS Center.

Of the UWG community who participated, Prof. Kevin Hibbard, chairman of the Department of Music, raised the most money: $1,355.

“It was a real feel-good experience, like you made a difference,” Hibbard said. “I found out how generous people are and what big hearts people have.”

Other UWG personnel who raised money for MDA were: Theresa Jablecki-Kriel, the director of Risk Management/Environmental Health & Safety, who raised $305; Dawn McCord, associate professor of music education and organ, $608; and Sandra Robinson, the purchasing card administrator, $560.

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