Repurposed trailer expands community engagement
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office will soon roll into a community near you with a trailer’s worth of fun to build relationships across the County.
The new Wheels of Engagement trailer is stocked with yard games, sports equipment and interactive activities to bring people together. Participants can even play games on the exterior of the trailer itself. The vehicle was an older trailer that previously held supplies for the Emergency Management Division. The Sheriff’s Office repurposed it with the help of a new wrap designed and installed by Kansas City North Signarama.
“The Wheels of Engagement trailer allows us to meet people where they are in a fun, approachable way,” said Community Services Coordinator Hillary Hidy, who spearheaded the project. “It creates opportunities for positive, non-enforcement interactions that help break down barriers, build trust, and reinforce that deputies are here not only to protect, but to support and connect with the community.”
The Community Engagement Unit of the Sheriff’s Office set a goal of reaching the smaller and more rural communities it serves, like Holt, Missouri City, Mosby and Avondale. They started with free holiday meal distribution in December in partnership with Hy-Vee, and Wheels of Engagement is the next step.
“We have dozens of community events annually, but a lot of those are in our bigger population centers,” said Public Relations Manager Sarah Boyd, who oversees the Community Engagement Unit. “Residents of our smaller and more rural communities may not be able to make it to those, so we wanted a way to take the fun to them.”
The Wheels of Engagement trailer will be used throughout Clay County at community events, schools, neighborhoods, outreach efforts and pop-up style events. All public events will be posted on the events page of the Sheriff’s Office web site.
“We hope this initiative strengthens relationships across all communities in Clay County by creating a welcoming, inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable engaging with our deputies,” Coordinator Hidy said. “By engaging youth and families through games, activities, and conversations, we can foster trust, improve communication, and build lasting relationships.”
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