Bremerton and Gig Harbor leaders raise ‘bail’ money for muscular dystrophy group
Published 11:00 am Sunday, May 10, 2015
BREMERTON — The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) issued fun arrest warrants for local business and civic leaders on April 29 and April 30, to 78 Bremerton and Gig Harbor business and civic leaders. The group of community-minded residents was put “behind bars” for MDA’s signature Lock-Up fundraiser at the Wesley Inn and LaFermata Restaurant.
Accused of having big hearts and being heavily armed with kindness, these “jailbirds” helped raise more than $43,000 for families affected by neuromuscular diseases in the Bremerton and Gig Harbor areas.
In order to be released, each jailbird’s “bail” was set at $2,400, and the money was raised by encouraging friends, family, co-workers and business contacts to make contributions to MDA.
The funds raised will help MDA assist hundreds of local individuals and families living with muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — better known as ALS — and related muscle diseases throughout the Gig Harbor and Bremerton areas.
The Lock-Up also will help send Washington youngsters to MDA’s summer camp at Camp Seymour in Gig Harbor, where all activities are designed for kids with limited mobility, and many volunteers provide the one-on-one assistance needed to optimize participation. Some activities include horseback riding, swimming, sports, and arts and crafts.
MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The association also provides unparalleled health care services; advocates for the families it serves; and invests significant resources educating the medical and scientific communities, as well as the general public, about neuromuscular diseases affecting more than 1 million Americans.
MDA maintains a network of some 200 hospital-affiliated clinics — 38 of which are designated as MDA/ALS centers — throughout the country. In Western Washington, families can receive excellent care for progressive muscle diseases at the MDA Clinics at The University of Washington and Children’s Hospital.
