Getting arrested for charity feels good!

On June 12, fourteen prominent Miami Springs residents were nominated and arrested for our first Jail & Bail for Charity fundraiser. That day, they were handcuffed and taken to face "Judge" Eileen McDonough, our club President. "Judge" Eileen charged them and assigned their bail, which was between $500-$1,500.

Thank you to Fabian Perez-Crespo Sr. for video taping the arrests, & to the amazing editor/colorist Abel Rodriguez who volunteered his time and talents and edited 14 videos for us.

They reported to jail on Wednesday, June 28, and the fundraiser started. While in jail, they hustled, posting fun arrest videos and mugshots; they called their friends, family & colleagues and asked for bail money donations. "How much must we pay to keep her in jail?" said the older brother of one of our do-gooders. We won't mention their names, but it was hilarious, and we quickly identified who was the most competitive.

Thank you to Fabian Perez-Crespo Jr. for helping take the mugshots.

The headline of the Miamisprings.com article created quite a commotion around town, and money to bail these amazing volunteers started rolling in. We aimed to raise $10,000 but never expected to go over $20,000. The money collected will go to our club's charities & initiatives, the Sebastian Strong and ChadTough Foundations fighting against childhood cancer. These are two organizations that are dear to the heart of our community.

We want to thank Bill Daley, Bill Tallman, Charlie Leonard, Elizabeth Fisher, Jacky Bravo, Jorge Santin, Mayor María Mitchell, Mikey Gavila, Natalie Plasencia, Nestor Suarez, Omar Luna, Tom Furhman, Victor Vazquez, Yanira Ross for taking time from their busy schedules and setting an extraordinary example within our community. Thank you for trusting us, and thank you for inspiring and motivating others to do social good.

We also want to thank MSPD Officer Capote who is just terrific, everyone who contributed to this fundraiser in any way, and the special people that supported our "jailbirds" by posting bail. They are now free and with full hearts knowing they are making a difference in people's lives. Who should we arrest next year?