Marietta man presented with off-road wheelchair

MARIETTA, S.C. — After five months of community fundraising efforts, Marietta resident Chad Foster was recently presented with an Action Track Chair, an off-road wheelchair that family and friends say will give him "independence and freedom to be unstoppable."

A substitute teacher, active community member, and an avid hunter, Foster suffers from loss of mobility due to a spinal cord injury at birth. The Action Track Chair will enable him to travel over sandy beaches with his family, traverse rough terrain, and ride in the snow. 

Fundraising efforts for the $15K wheelchair were led by Sandra Crain, another local resident. Crain organized chili dog sales and a raffle for a Yeti cooler at the Slater-Marietta 2016 Moon Boom event, where more than half of the money was raised.

Crain then reached out to friends, officials, and business owners. Virgil Bonham, owner of the Buster’s Barber shop raised funds by offering a hot dog sale at his business. With his help and that of Karen Holmes, the Spinks Family, Marietta Smiles, and many other generous donors, Chad was in December presented with his new chair at a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Spinx in Marietta.