by Kelly Rogge
Students, staff and faculty at Kansas City Kansas Community College joined together Oct. 22 to raise money for the United Way of Wyandotte County.
But it was not the usual bake sale that caused so much interest. Instead KCKCC administrators and faculty members were “put in jail.”
Four administrators and one faculty member were selected to get “arrested.”
Those participating included KCKCC President Doris Givens; Linda Sutton, director of student activities; Michael Vitale, vice president of academic affairs; Paige Darby, math faculty at KCKCC and Brian Bode, chief operations officer. They were then brought to their “cell” in Lower Jewell where students and staff had the opportunity to either donate money toward their bail or to contribute money toward increasing their bail.
The event was a part of the college’s annual United Way campaign. Samantha Scott, professional assistant in Information Services at KCKCC and chair of the campus United Way committee, said the event went above and beyond the goal that had been set. She said the bail was originally set for $50 for everyone, and with five people on the docket, she said they expected to raise anywhere between $300-$350. The total raised during the Jail and Bail event was $740.
“I think there were several factors that contributed to the event’s success,” she said. “It’s an acceptable form of giving your boss a hard time or an opportunity to literally bail them out, and all for a good cause. Who could pass up that opportunity? Some of the participants made arrangements ahead of time to let people know they were counting on them to post bail. Some participants were pretty rowdy while in jail and even tried to annoy the crowd by reading text books aloud. When you put all that together, I think it makes for a well-rounded and successful event.”
The Jail and Bail event is only a small part of KCKCC’s overall United Way campaign this year. This includes completing pledge forms and making one-time donations as well as an upcoming silent auction. All proceeds will be donated directly to the United Way of Wyandotte County.
For more information about KCKCC’s United Way campaign or to make a donation, contact Samantha Scott at sascott@kckcc.edu or by calling 913-288-7132.
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor for KCKCC.