REGION — Community members have offered an hour of their time to spend in a portable jail in the Big Lots parking lot in Farmington to help raise money for the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area (UWTVA), a non-profit serving greater Franklin County.

“We’re trying to be creative in the midst of a pandemic,” UWTVA Community Resource Coordinator Nichole Ernest said in a phone interview.

Ernest and her team were brainstorming ways in which the organization could raise donations and awareness of its partners and programs while still maintaining the state’s CDC guidelines. She remembered a boy scout troop that had utilized the ‘go to jail’ fundraiser and saw the format as a safe option for UWTVA.

Voters can visit UWTVA’s website at https://www.uwtva.org/ and select their desired inmate for $5. The three participants with the most funds raised will be picked up in a police cruiser and driven to their cell during the week of October 5.

“We’re posting updates daily on our website and Facebook page of what the votes are so people can see, and if they want to influence it, if their person is not in the top, they’re more than welcome to do that as many times as they like,” Ernest said.

Participants in UWTVA’s fundraiser include political candidates such as Republican State Senator of District 17 Russell Black who is running for reelection and Democratic State Representative of House District 113 Scott Landry who is also seeking a second term. Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols is a participant along with his contestor, Farmington Police Sergeant Edward H. Hastings IV.

Hastings said that he was searching for a local organization to make a campaign donation to and was happy to engage with the UWTVA fundraiser.

“It really seems like one place that you can make a donation and to some extent affect all of them,” Hastings said about UWTVA’s distribution of donations to non-profits throughout greater Franklin County, in a phone interview.

UWTVA conducts its own programs such as food drives and Packs for Progress and also allocates funds to partner organizations such as Safe Voices, the Care and Share Food Closet and the Western Maine Homeless Outreach. 

Regional School Unit 9 Superintendent Tina Meserve is also a jail candidate and said that she might advertise her involvement among the district’s 2,400 students and 500 staff members in order to boost donations.

Wilton Selectperson Tom Saviello plans on using his Thursday morning radio show that airs on WKTJ as a way of promoting his participation. Saviello said that he is no stranger to prank style fundraising and has also had a pie smashed in his face and has been dunked with a bucket of ice water.

“I am game in any way I can for this community. We live in a very special place I love calling home,” Saviello said in an email.

Current first place participant as of Monday, September 28, Angela Pinkham who serves on UWTVA’s special events team has shared her participation among her family, friends and coworkers.

“I have participated in many fundraisers but never any like this before. UWTVA comes up with lots of innovative, fun ideas to raise money for our community and I’m so happy to be part of it,” Pinkham said in an email.

UWTVA will be accepting donations for the ‘No Bail…Go Directly to Jail’ campaign until October 4. Jail times will vary for the top three participants as they will select times that work best for them to be locked up for one hour.

 

 

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