Pretend handcuffs, plenty of laughter, and a little resisting happened in Kewanee as the Kewanee Area United Way (KAUW) held the “Jail and Bail” fundraiser on September 11th at 9 AM. With help from Kewanee Police Chief Kijanowski and Deputy Chief Minx, the KAUW crew, along with Regional Media, headed to each business or school to “arrest” the designated volunteer and collect their bail. Local schools and businesses, including Belle, Fairview, State Farm, McDonald’s, Mel Foster, Happy Joe’s, OSF, Head Nods and High Fives, Edward D. Jones, Union Federal, Gustafson Ford, Murphy’s, Kewanee School, Galva School, and Braveheart. Participants include Stephanie and Haley, Sara Davis, Tanner Nichols, Lisa Johnston, Mary Jo Gibson, Holly Gustafson Hicks, Kevin Newton, Eric Ellenberger, Mike Miler, Jon Looney, Chuck Forsythe, Gwen Murphy, Rebecca Baney, Felisha Rodgers, and Marland Rachel.
Time is running out, but supporters can help “bail out” friends or colleagues while raising funds for a worthy cause. Just head to kauw.org/donate, select Jail & Bail from the dropdown, and type in your arrestee’s name and enter the donation amount at the top. Donations for bail are accepted through Friday, September 19, 2025. There’s still time to participate and make an impact in the community, one friendly “bail” at a time.
