The Boys & Girls Club of El Dorado held a fundraiser last week, where local community members were “Cuffed for Kids” at the club and had to have their bonds paid before being released.
The fundraiser, Cuffed for Kids, was the first of its kind at the local club and lasted from Nov. 26-30, with a total of 13 people in the community being “arrested” and having to make their bond.
Victoria Hollis, director of marketing and development, said the goal for the fundraiser was bringing awareness to the club. She added that they won’t know exactly how much money they raised until a later date.
“Also with it being during Giving Tuesday, all of the money that we raised on Facebook on Tuesday will be matched by Facebook,” Hollis added.
The people who participated in the fundraiser were the ones who set the price of their bail. The prices of the bonds listed on Facebook ranged from $100 to $800. Participants included state Sen. Trent Garner, state Rep. Sonia Barker, El Dorado Mayor-elect Veronica Smith-Creer and many others.
Although some participants used Facebook to get their bails met, others called friends until they had enough money to be released. Not everyone stayed at the Boys & Girls Club while being “captured,” but over half did, Hollis said.
“We had a room set up with fake bars, which looked like they were in jail,” Hollis said. “We’re very lucky to have people in the community that were willing to help us out.”
The club accepted donations through Facebook, over the phone or in person, said Deneisa Jamerson, director of operations.
“When people came in to pay for them, they were like ‘help get me out,’” Jamerson said. “It was cute and fun. We didn’t physically restrain them. It was just duct tape (bars).”
Hollis said they found out about the idea from another club who had previously held the fundraiser.
“We thought it was definitely something we could try, and if we liked it or if there was a good response, it could be something that we do every year,” Hollis said. “So far it seems like everybody had a really good time and I think we’ll definitely try and do this again next year.”
All of the proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of El Dorado, Jamerson said.
“We wanted to promote the Boys & Girls Club and we were looking for help from the community to help advocate for the Boys & Girls Club,” Jamerson said. “And for them deciding to be cuffed for our kids, they were advocating on our behalf as well as raising money.”
The Boys & Girls Club of El Dorado is located at 1201 N. West Ave. Their phone number is 870-863-8753. For more information on the club, visit eldoradokids.org.
Kaitlyn Rigdon can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].