HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The charges varied- some severe- but the convicts were all smiles at the 12th annual “Jail and Bail” fundraiser held Friday at Eddie V’s restaurant in Tampa.
The restaurant served as the “prison” for about a dozen “inmates” who raised bail money that would benefit Wheelchairs 4 Kids, a local charity that provides adaptive equipment and activities for local youth.
One of the notable convicts was Sonya Bryson-Kirksey, widely known as the voice of the Tampa Bay Lightning. She belts the national anthem with a smile before almost every Bolts home game. She kept the smile on Friday because she was more than happy to spend some time behind bars for a good cause.
"The outcome is always going to be special. It's going to be little kids in the wheelchairs that they need,” Sonya said from inside her cell. “So that's the key. Raising the money so that they can get the wheelchairs that they need here."
“Jail and Bail” is one of three major fundraisers that Wheelchairs 4 Kids holds annually.
"I love this because it really gives us a chance to interact with the community,” said Wheelchairs 4 Kids Programs Manager Nina Shaw. "With people who care about the special needs community. They're willing to give their time, their talent, their money to be here and experience this with our kids. So it's amazing."
For kids like 17-year-old Shane Kaufman, Wheelchairs 4 Kids continues to deliver on its mission of providing mobility and inclusion.
"You do fun events like water skiing, snow skiing. The events are just fun,” Kaufman said with a smile. "I love hanging out with everybody. Loved these people since the first day."
Parents never get tired of watching their kids get to do things that all of the other kids get to do.
"We even see kids on the field in their bikes. People don't stare as much when it's a bike instead of a chair. So they get out, and they do everything, and the love it,” said Shane’s mom, Denielle Ellis. "They love playing with their siblings instead of watching from the front porch or inside. Kids want to go to theme parks. They want to do everything that their friends at school are doing."
Watching a child’s reaction to getting a new piece of adaptive equipment never gets old.
"t is the part of my job that I love the most,” Shaw added. "Just seeing that kid- the moment he changes from his small, uncomfortable wheelchair to the new one that is specialized, that is seated. Realizing that his body is not uncomfortable anymore. He's no longer in pain. He can move. It's such a unique moment. I cry. I just cry all the time."
Bryson-Kirksey belted out a few tunes to earn more bail money at Friday’s event. She does what she does best so that kids who get adaptive equipment can do whatever they want to do.
"They want to be mobile, and they want to be moving around and doing things that normal kids would do,” Sonya said. "And in those wheelchairs, that's going to make that happen."
For more information, visit www.wheelchairs4kids.org.
