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The sheriff will be rounding up jailbirds and looking for bonds outside of Renasant Bank in Valley on Oct. 22. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the bank and Chambers County Sheriff’s Office will once again be hosting the annual Lock Up For a Cure.

The event, which began during the tenure of breast cancer survivor Sid Lockhart as sheriff, is a fundraising event close to his heart. Though Lockhart retired in 2022, the county’s new sheriff, Jeff Nelson, has continued many of his traditions.

Throughout the day, the sheriff and his deputies will “lock up” citizens who then have to raise the money to pay their “bail.” All the proceeds will go to the Breast Cancer Research Center of Alabama, which funds Alabama-based breast cancer research.

The bail is set at $100. Friends and family can pay to help free you or they can pay to keep you in.

The Curry Man and Grab-N-Go will be on site for food and refreshments while onlookers wait for their friends to post bail.

Valley Renasant Manager Nancy Warren-Holland hosts fundraisers at Renasant in Valley every year, from the Cuff for a Cure to a month-long raffle, to meet and exceed the branch’s yearly goal.

The company-wide goal is to raise at least $1,000 through the month of October.

However, in Valley, the staff tries for an even higher goal and often they exceed it. In 2022, the bank raised over $7,000. The bank raised $3,265 total last year.

The new event this year is the Food Truck Saturday on Oct. 5. From 11 a.m., food trucks will be parked outside the bank where people can come out and grab lunch. The bank is also hosting a 50/50 raffle throughout the day.

This year, the staff member who gets the most donations will get a pie in the face. Employees will also participate in the pumpkin decorating contest. Visitors to the bank can pay $1 to vote on their favorite pumpkin.

The bank is also selling commemorative ribbons for $1. People can dedicate the ribbon to a loved one that they lost to cancer and it will be hung up and displayed in the bank during October.