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nother annual tradition may have started Friday in Selma. Selma-Dallas County Leadership Class XXII held a Blessings in a Box Bail Out Friday and it appears to have been a great success.

Twenty-five local leaders were served warrants, including mayor George Evans, and had to raise $500 before Friday.

If they weren’t able to raise the funds, they were put in a fake jail cell in front of city hall to serve time.

Ashley Mason, a member of the class, said nobody had to be locked up Friday because every person served a warrant had raised the money or wrote a check to cover the cost.

Proceeds from the event are going to Blessing in a Box, which is a program the class created to raise money for patients at Vaughan Regional Medical Center.

The money will go toward items the patients at the hospital might need during their stay.

Through the years, the leadership classes have given back to the community in many ways. The Alabama River Chili Cook-off, held each spring, was the project of Selma-Dallas County Leadership Class XVIII.

Members of the current class help with the Christmas parade each December, but through the years every class has given back to the community through a countless number of projects.

Friday’s bail out was the latest reminder of the impact the leadership class and its organizers are having on this community. Like the chili cook-off, we hope Friday’s fundraiser becomes an annual event.

Congratulations to the class on a tremendous idea. We’re excited to see what else Class XXII might have in store for our community.