Around noon Thursday, Ironton resident Amy Pemberton called her friends and family members with news that scared them to death -- she needed bail money to get out of jail.

Then, they all breathed a sigh of relief when she eventually told them she was in the slammer for charity.

Throughout the day Wednesday, local volunteers arrived at the End Zone to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, a non-profit organization that helps patients with any of 40 neuromuscular diseases. Upon arrival, volunteers presented any donations they had already collected, were photographed in a black and white striped shirt behind bars, and were encouraged to call anyone they knew to raise any "bail money" they had pledged to the organization for any amount of time they could stay at the End Zone.

The Ironton event raised approximately $4,600, Brian Johnson, district director of the Central Ohio office of the MDA, said. Tuesday, a lockup was conducted at the Ponderosa steakhouse in Burlington, and that event raised $3,075.

"It's went really well, and we're up from last year," Johnson said. "In both towns, we've raised $7,000."

Because of local and national economic downturn when charity donations often decrease, Johnson said donations increasing was a huge surprise and the organization never did believe it would do as well as it did. This is evidence that this area really stands behind the MDA, which appreciates the help, he said.

Some people arriving at the lockups have brought in donations already collected, some come in to collect donations they have pledged and some do a combination of the two, Johnson said.

Proctorville resident Joanne Watts and South Point resident Sharon Dolin, both employees of the Lawrence County Job and Family Services office brought in donations they had collected. Many of the same people in their office donated to both Watts and Dolin. Dolin said she has always watched the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, and no one she knows has muscular dystrophy.

"This is a way of thanking the Lord for that," she said.

Pemberton spent her lunch break from American General Finance working toward her bail out. Someone, whose identity she did not know, had volunteered her for the lockup, but she did not mind going. Her 7-year-old son Casey came with her mother Sheila White to contribute to his mother's bail.

"He donated a dollar to help mommy out of jail," White said.