Ashley Hayes with Grateful Heart Events worked to organize the first ever Hardinsburg, Kentucky, Outdoors Expo on February 24, and the event was not only an opportunity to spotlight local vendors but to help support Hardinsburg Police Chief Terry Laslie in his battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“We were able to raise quite a bit for Terry,” Hayes said. “It wasn’t extravagant but it was a really decent amount and I’m pretty happy with that. Terry was really happy with it. He’s choked up, so it turned out to be a really great day.”
Hayes said she has primarily worked on “give-back” events in the last year and became acquainted with Laslie’s family through work with McDaniels Fire and Rescue. Laslie is fighting cancer for the second time in ten years after a bout with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013.
Hayes said the opportunity to support people like Laslie has been rewarding, but her focus has also been helping the community grow.
“Knowing that we are in a small town and not much really takes place, it’s mostly focused around the lake, of course, Rough River Lake, but little, smaller community events,” Hayes said. “There are some that go on like the Breckinridge County Chamber of Commerce, they host some things. There are some local businesses that host things for people. So I just kind of reached out to the public, and I was like ‘what else can we do in our area to bring more to Breck?’”
If you were not able to participate at the expo, there are still ways to support Laslie.
“Anything that he gets from the community will be going towards whatever insurance won’t cover, so open donations are fine,” Hayes said. “Just prayers, because Terry is definitely the praying kind. His family is as well, and so I think prayers will do a lot for him. Just anything really, I mean there’s so many unlimited possibilities that you can do to help. Just lending an ear, asking him, reaching out to him, seeing if there’s anything.”
Hayes said the Outdoor Expo will return to Hardinsburg on February 22, 2025. For more information, search for Grateful Heart Events on Facebook.
