MUSKEGON, Mich. — Around 400 cars, trucks and motorcycles packed into downtown Muskegon on Saturday for the eighth annual Heykoop Veteran Memorial Car Show and Benefit.
Hosted at Hod Rod Harley Davidson from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the yearly event is held by Lighthouse for Veterans to raise funds for veteran suicide prevention.
The event included a live and silent auction, a live DJ, a poker walk, a pinup contest, food trucks and games for kids.
The very first car show and benefit was held when the founder, Natasha Heykoop, lost her brother-in-law, Jeremy C. Heykoop, to veteran suicide in 2015.
"I felt like we had to do something to help prevent other families from feeling the way that my family was feeling," Heykoop said.
The event raised just under $5,000, which was donated to an established veteran charity from Nashville, Indiana.
The following year, the founder decided she wanted to use the money to do good in her own community and looked for a Michigan-based charity focused on preventing veteran suicide.
After not finding the charity she sought, in November 2017 Heykoop created Lighthouse for Veterans.
The nonprofit offers community education on suicide prevention, veteran retreats for those suffering from PTSD, help for families struggling with funeral expenses and events to raise awareness of suicide prevention.
"I tell you what, I don't think I could stop this if I tried," Heykoop said. "The community wouldn't let me. So it's great to have that support out here. This is why we do this. They know that this is a need in our community and the more people that come and hear about what we're doing, the more veterans we're gonna be able to help."
Heykoop said the event is held every year on the first Saturday of July in downtown Muskegon.
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