By JERRY MICHAUD
If you were in Hays on June 8th, 2024, you may have noticed an event at Municipal Park, that drew a lot of folks to Hays on South Main Street for the Thunder on the Plains Car show.
It was a beautiful day down in the park and many car, truck, motorcycle and tractor enthusiasts were able to showcase their rides and take in the wonders of all the classic and classy vehicles, many from the past, restored and all treasured.
If you happened to be present early that afternoon, you would have observed how these enthusiasts showed another aspect of their collective characters. These beautiful souls are equally engaged in their community and in support of their community. At that time, Thunder on the Plains Car Show extended their hands in a great outpouring of financial support upon many different organizations in our community. Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas (DSNWK and Custom Creations) were among the recipients.. We remain deeply grateful to everyone associated with Thunder on the Plains Car Show and all the sponsors who helped make the day possible. The amazing support shared helps us continue in our work serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in this community.
The above alone is worthy of recognition but, wait, there's more to the story. One of their continued car show participants, unable to join the Thunder on the Plains Car Show event downtown this year because of health challenges, received an overpowering surprise (yet another gift) from this amazing group of people! As a neighbor living across the street, we were blessed to witness another example of the class of this group of people. Even though the car show was a wrap and each fatigued by the activities of the day, they dug in deeper.
Unbeknownst to our neighbor, the parade of classic cars drove down our street, coming to their planned stop to offer their gift of love, encouragement and hope. I heard someone say,
"It's what love does."
So Thank You to everyone involved in the Thunder on the Plains Car Show event, and especially for this final surprise gift of hope and encouragement. DSNWK was blessed to directly receive the generous support of this group. As a proverbial 'fly on the wall', we were also gifted witnessing this beautiful outpouring of love and support that impacted yet another life. Living with Purpose is our motto at DSNWK, and I am grateful to witness this as a prime example. This world is a better place when we too rise above ourselves to serve, to give and to support one another.