Look Back. Pay Forward.

September is here and the kids are back in school.  After the week is over for the younger generations, a unique brand of education takes the stage in Hunt Valley.  There are no books or notepads.  There are no chalkboards or lectures.  Its the outdoor classroom.  Consider it a class field trip.

The younger eyes and ears are surrounded by new sights and sounds.  Even for the folks that have been around the block a few times and are walking libraries of automotive knowledge, there’s something to learn.  Yes, even I may be able to show our venerable Heinz Werner Bade, Rick Mandelson or Bud Sammis something new on the automotive front…even if it takes some homework of my own. 

There’s a grand opportunity for each of us to pay forward our knowledge and respectful enthusiasm of all-things automotive.  Remember back to when you were a child.  Remember your early automotive influences.  Remember those moments when your fate was sealed as an enthusiast. 

Now you can be the positive influence by sharing your knowledge, driving respectfully and embracing our diverse community.  You may be the generation that bridges the gap between our teenagers and our elder statesmen and stateswomen.  Maybe you can relate to the ‘20-somethings’ because you were there just a few years ago.  Maybe you can relate in a certain way because your children are now that age.  Maybe you owned the same car 30 years ago that is now driven by one of our college-aged enthusiasts.

You have walked your path and now you have generations walking through those years and forging their own paths.  There are shared experiences.  Pay it forward.  Opportunities are around every corner.

When it comes to paying it forward, check horsepowering.com/toysfortots for progressive updates on this year’s partnership with Toys For Tots.  Also, after this Saturday’s gathering, consider joining our caravan to the Timonium Fairgrounds for Wheels For Prostate Cancer Research.  Next Saturday, there’s an opportunity to volunteer with our Adopt-A-Road team at Thornton Mill Road.  For more information, check horsepowering.com/adoptaroadprogram. 

The Hunt Valley Horsepower community comes together for our common bond of automotive enthusiasm.  That one-of-a-kind bond is elevated for honorable causes.  Thank you for to contributing to these efforts and for making our world a better place.  See you down the road!