By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

Always quick with a smile and a handshake, Chad Haynes, 31, is a well-known person around Hays and, after sustaining serious injuries in a motorcycle accident early last month, the community has responded in a big way. A series of fundraisers have been planned to support Haynes, the first occurring this weekend.

The events are being organized by Danielle Scott, a cousin to Haynes.

“I just wanted to do something to help him out,” Scott said. “It has just kind of really gotten big from there.”

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at The Mall, 2918 Vine, a benefit bake sale is planned for Haynes, with donations pouring in from the area, including baked goods from Great Bend High School, as part of a service project.

“We are doing all of this all for Chad,” Scott said.

Donations of baked goods can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. before the sale.

In conjunction with the bake sale, there will be prizes offered including various packages and items donated from local businesses.

To help spread the message of bicycle safety, Doerflers’ Harley-Davidson, 1100 E. 43rd, will also be on site providing motorcycle safety information.

A second fundraising event is planed next month.

A 5K run/walk is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 17. Registration will begin at 9:10 a.m. the morning of the race.

Participants will run a course near Sunrise Park, 19th and MacArthur, where the run will start and end.

Registration for the race is $25.

For participants who register before Sept. 30, aT-shirt commemorating the event will be given out during registration. The form to register can be found here.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up, collecting donations for Haynes. In the last month, the page has collected over $1,600.

Haynes has remained hospitalized in Wichita since the Aug. 8 accident in Russell County.