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BURNHAM -- Orange isn't necessarily Ed Stewart's color by choice, but when you've been arrested and incarcerated your fashion choices might be limited.
Stewart, who lives in Lewistown, isn't really in any trouble with law enforcement, but he found himself in the slammer after agreeing to participate as an inmate for the Dream Center of Mifflin County's "Jail-N-Bail" fundraiser.
"No, it's not for sure," Stewart of his orange jail garb. "It's definitely not one of my favorite colors."
Stewart joked that some people have even offered to "pay to keep me there. Good friends and family, huh?"
Stewart hopes the community will step up and bail him out. "It's a great cause," he explained. "They're going to be doing things with drug and alcohol abuse and with the homeless."
Stewart, currently on the staff at King-Barr Funeral Home and who previously worked in sales at Lewistown Paper Co. and as a basketball coach in Mifflin County, is one of a handful of notable figures taking part in the event.
Other inmates include Mifflin County Commissioner and former high school basketball coach Kevin Kodish, Friends of the Mifflin County Library secretary Cheryl Swineford and full-time singler and evangelist Bernard Carpenter.
The volunteers have until Monday, Aug. 28, to raise as much money as possible to post their bail and get out of lockup. Proceeds from the event benefit the Dream Center, located at 204 First Ave., Burnham, in the former Burnham Hardware building.
"This Jail-N-Bail fundraiser is a brainchild of Pam Elsesser," explained Chad Curry, executive director of the Dream Center. "She and her husband have been an integral part of the planning and implementation of Dream Center of Mifflin County programming."
For the record, Curry is also incarcerated and needs bailed out.
The Dream Center hopes to raise $50,000 from this event. Overall, a total of $127,000 is needed to finish and furnish the building in order to start helping people.
The Dream Center eventually hopes to offer a residential facility that will bring Christ-centered solutions to addiction, hunger, trauma, homelessness and unemployment in the community. This will be accomplished through various outreach programs.
Construction on the Burnham facility continues, but that hasn't prevented organizers from starting to make their vision a reality.
"Since we believe we don't need a completely finished building to start some of the support groups, we have done that," Curry added. "We have a 12-step meeting that meets every Tuesday at 7. We also have a men's group called "Dad's Matter" that meets the second and fourth Thursday of every month from 6 to 8 p.m. Both are open to all who wish to participate."
Curry estimates construction on the Dream Center is about 60 percent complete and the hope is to finish and open the doors by early 2024. That will happen, Curry said, "as long as we continue to be supported so well by the community like has happened up to this point."
Volunteers are also still needed to staff the facility's programs.
"Although we strive to help the sick and suffering, there are volunteer opportunities for anyone who has a heart to serve the community," Curry said.
Other events the Dream Center holds include "Adopt-A-Block" with its mobile food bank on the third Monday of each month. "(It) focuses on going out into the community and finding a need to fill," Curry added. "We look for that to grow over the coming months. All it takes is two to four people with a willingness to serve, and we provide the food."
To donate to the "Jail-N-Bail" fundraiser:
Mail a check to the Dream Center MC, 204 First Ave., Burnham, PA 17099, and put the inmate's name on the memo line.
Use Paypal: 717-437-5725
Venmo: @DreamCMC
Cash App: $DreamCenterMC
For more information, visit www.dreamcentermc.com.