Perfect day for Tacky Jack’s wheel chair presentations
Perfect day for Tacky Jack’s wheel chair presentations
The smiles on the recipients’ faces told the story best when Tacky Jack’s representatives presented all-terrain wheelchairs – perfect for use on beaches – to war veterans Julie Canevari from Pensacola and purple heart recipient Anthony McDaniel from Mobile on Veteran’s Day. Tacky Jacks teamed up with the Marine League to make the chairs possible.
Canevari did tours in Kuwait and Iraq and was diagnosed with MS. Chemical poisoning from her tour in Iraq is the probable cause. Scooter Fredrickson worked to build the custom chair for Julie, who was more in need of outdoor beach type chair. Julie and her husband Adam have already enjoyed watching the Blue Angels in her new chair. Julie is a huge Blue Angel fan. Her chair, custom made by Beach’n Wheelchairs, was detailed in team colors, including the Blue Angel logo. Before receiving the chair, Julie was not able to go to the beach.
Anthony McDaniel lost his legs and part of his hand while trying to remove IEDs in Afghanistan. He is now a part of the Mobile Patriots Wheelchair Basketball team and on the US Wheelchair Olympic Rugby team. Inspirational to us all, Anthony was presented an Action Track (All-terrain) wheelchair.
The money for the chairs was raised from donations (matched by Tacky Jack’s) from buckets placed next to the big marlin & photo stand in front of Tacky Jack’s in Orange Beach, Gulf Shores and Ft. Morgan. The original Orange Beach marlin is a story in itself, as it was salvaged from an extended stint in storage back in 2007 to add to the TJ’s decor. Nobody expected then that it would become a popular photo op, let alone an incredible fundraising tool. Several members of the Marine League and Marines from Naval Air Station Pensacola participated in both ceremonies. Pictured: Adam and Julie Canevari watching the Blue Angels with Julie’s new chair; Anthony McDaniel with his family, basketball coach (in wheelchair), team managers, The Marine League, Tacky Jacks reps, and the Marines.