A lost Washington Nationals hat has brought together concerned fans from D.C. to Michigan — even all the way up into Canada. And after one man’s tireless efforts, the heartfelt item has finally found its way home.
Mark Thomas lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was approached by a friend who attended Game 3 of the World Series in D.C. last Friday with a request. He enlisted Thomas to help him find the rightful owner of a hat he had found on the ground.
It was the message inside the hat that put Thomas on a mission to return it: “Shayna, Love Dad 10/26/19.” Thomas said he knew then he had to return the heartfelt souvenir, and he turned to Facebook for help.
“I was hopeful especially Nats fans would share it,” Thomas added.
He posted photos in a D.C.-area Facebook group on Monday and was overwhelmed with the responses, which led to over 4,000 shares of his post. “I had people in the comments or messaging me. One woman even shared it in Canada,” Thomas said.
Eventually, a man messaged him and they began to search together. They eventually found a woman connected to Shayna and, early Wednesday morning, Shayna reached out to Thomas.
“I’m just glad we could do something for her. Being it was from her dad, I imagine it has at least sentimental value,” he said.
Though Thomas made it clear that he is a serious Tigers fan, he said he will be rooting for the Nats as they reach the end of their World Series run. “Especially after this, I definitely have to,” he said.
Thomas said he was amazed at the power of social media to connect him with others for a common goal: to get a dad’s gift honoring the Nats’ amazing World Series journey to his daughter.
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