Elks Lodge 2504 awards track chair to veteran

After a years worth of fundraising, Elks Lodge 2504 was able to give back in a big way to Arroyo Grande veteran Paul Salitore in the form of an all terrain track chair.

“He can go out camping and hunting,” says John Fiechter, president of Elks Lodge 2504. “He or anyone could go out on the beach and have a good time.”

Volunteers from the Elks Lodge raised more than $15,000 through dinners, raffles, and giveaways to purchase the chair for Salitore.

“We’re just over the top with enjoyment that we’re able to help expand the world he once knew.”

It’s an honor, it’s a treat,” says Salitore, who was injured serving during the Vietnam War, which has severely limited his mobility. “This allows me to do things in my life I haven’t been able to do for ten-plus years.”

“It’s an amazing feeling to helping somebody out,” says Jason Wolpert, part of the committee that helped raise the money for the chair.

Salitore has not faced any snow on his new chair just yet, but plans to test it’s limits.