A third edition of the Rotary Jailbreak will be back this week, with fake crime, fake celebrity criminals, and a fake jail around Steinbach.
The jail breakers will be at Clearspring Centre on Wednesday, May 22, in a holding cell, watched over by a bailiff and sentenced by a celebrity judge.
Ken Dyck, operations manager of South East Helping Hands is one of the jail breakers. He’s being “charged” with possession of stolen goods, mostly food, which he is hiding at the food bank.
Steinbach Economic Development Corporation Director Michelle Bezditny was a jail breaker last year, where she was arrested by Cpl. Dennis Redikop.
“It’s hard to collect money, so us charities get to help each other out,” said Dyck.
It’s Dyck’s first time as a jail breaker, although he said he remembers doing a similar fundraiser years ago with the Lions Club.
Other celebrity offenders include fire chief Kal Toews, former RCMP Staff Sgt. Harold Laninga, real-life Santa Thom Doerksen, Krispin Ontong, Carmel Wiebe, Art Enns, Elma Friesen, Devyn Bartel, Brian Guenther, Farrel Rempel, Peter Tonge, Wendy Heier and Scott Penner.
This year, donations will go toward family recreation and education, which will be split between ROC Eastman and the Steinbach Family Resource Centre. Last year, $45,000 was raised and organizers hope to at least match that amount this year.
Jo-Anne Dalton, Rotary Club secretary and executive director of the Steinbach Family Resource Centre said she hopes with more celebrity offenders, more money can be raised for families in the Southeast.
“Family and friends can come in and watch their loved ones get ‘locked up,’” said Dalton. “If people want to keep the criminals behind bars for longer, they can donate to do so.”
She said the people approached to be jail breakers will often give their own suggestions on what their crimes should be. The crimes are all personalized, and based on what the offenders are known for.
“The jail breakers are dressed up in stripes and it’s a lot of fun for everyone involved,” Dalton said.
A list of the make belief crimes and the real life people behind them can be found on the South Eastman Rotary Club website.
Go to https://south-eastman-rotary.square.site/ to donate.