STORY BY CORIE LYNN
On the morning of Feb. 8, the Paisley Pear in downtown Hays opened its doors to the first-responders of Ellis County and Hays.
“This is our fourth annual appreciation breakfast,” said Sara Bloom, “and it’s organized by Downtown Hays Development Corp., the Hays Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, Hays Chamber of Commerce and Grow Hays.”
Bloom, who is the executive director for Downtown Hays Development Corp., was one of the organization members serving breakfast at the Paisley Pear.
She explained that local businesses also play an important role in bringing the morning’s breakfast to the first-responders. Businesses, including the Paisley Pear, Augustine’s Bakery, The Press, Dillon’s and Walmart, each gave a range of resources, including the food, for the meal.
“All of those businesses have donated something to this morning breakfast,” Bloom said.
The breakfast itself included sausage, quiche and a choice of a cinnamon roll or scones. Orange juice, coffee and water also were served.
The inspiration for the event came from Bloom’s experience working in senior living. During that time, she saw first-responder breakfasts that were hosted so that the two groups could get to know one another.
“I loved the idea, and the first-responders do so much for our community as well as our entities, specifically downtown Hays,” Bloom said. “We host a lot of different events on the Bricks, and those first-responders help us with parades and putting out cones and keeping everyone safe, so I really wanted a way to tell them thank you and show our appreciation.”
For the hosts of the breakfast, that was why the morning was important because it was a way to give back to those who serve their community and keep it safe.
“Working for the city, I get to see the police chief and the fire chief every week at our staff meetings,” said Melissa Dixon, executive director of the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau. “And to just hear what they do every week behind the scenes, things that we don’t even see, it’s a lot and we’d be in a world of hurt without them.”
The students of O’Loughlin Elementary also contributed to the breakfast by drawing and writing thank-you notes that were displayed around the Paisley Pear as well as tucked into the napkins on the tables.
“As a testament of what they do,” Bloom said, “a lot of the thank you notes say, ‘Thank you for saving my life,’ or ‘Thank you for saving my baby sister’s life.’ ”
The first-responders in attendance ranged from dispatchers to firefighters to police officers. Each of the responders, as well as their families, were welcomed with a meal and shown appreciation for the work they do.
“We’re fortunate,” said Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler, “We live in a community that is very supportive of law enforcement and responders in general.”
