About the Campaign:
Have you ever known someone who was falsely accused of a crime? Maybe a good friend or a family member or even someone you know just as an acquaintance? Until a good friend of mine was falsely accused and charged, I never thought about how the innocent, too, are forced to seek and retain legal counsel that can become quite expensive depending on how long a case lasts. You can be out tens of thousands of dollars just to clear your own name.
My friend was blindsided. Her strength of character, spine of steel, and ability to square her shoulders in the face of a truly incredible charge are the qualities that allowed her to keep plugging along to clear her name. (Character is always important, even determinate, when one finds herself in trouble.)
Until I watched my friend fight a false accusation and find her way through the whirlwind, I never thought about how someone wrongly accused of a crime still accrues, in this case enormous, legal costs. Legal fees, household expenses, childcare, and unanticipated costs of many kinds accrue for anyone when they’re charged with a crime. But for someone falsely accused who spends over a year and tens of thousands of dollars just to clear her name, these costs aren’t so much galling as they are discouraging. She will probably be paying off these costs for years.
We’re called Bowling for Dollars because we’re acknowledging that life is unpredictable. There are always surprises, both good and bad. And you really have no idea what the story ahead may be. All we have is this moment, right here and right now, where you are reading this and I am asking for help for my friend. Please give her some help right now. We can remind her through donations that there are many, many good people in the world—some of whom are willing to help a stranger.
