Thanks to the generosity of a local veterans group some wheelchair-bound folks in Lapeer County will be able to hunt and participate in archery competitions.
American Veterans (AMVETS) Post 108 in Oxford recently donated approximately $600 so Wheelin? Team 457 could purchase a custom-made crossbow from Darton Archery in Hale, Michigan.
‘These guys have helped us tremendously. They’ve always been there for us,? said Ray Brown, president and founder of the North Branch-based Wheelin? Team 457 and adjutant for AMVETS Post 108.
Founded in 2003, Wheelin? Team 457 encourages people confined to wheelchairs to participate in indoor and outdoor sports and recreational activities such as target shooting, archery, swimming, deer and turkey hunting, golf, fishing, weight-lifting, table tennis, wheelchair racing, bowling and billiards.
‘We do a lot of outdoor stuff,? said Brown, noting last year, the group took 28 wheelchair-bound hunters to Bear Lake Camp in Lapeer and they bagged 13 deer.
This new crossbow will allow the group’s members to participate in everything from the great Michigan tradition of deer hunting to archery competitions.
‘Most of your archery competitions now are going to allow the crossbow. It’s opened up a whole new world for competitors that can’t pull a long bow,? said Brown, a paraplegic who was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy in 1996.
A group of AMVETS and Wheelin? Team 457 members toured the Darton Archery factory back in November.
‘It was a real experience,? said Jerry Ingles, past commander of the AMVETS. ‘This crossbow was actually made while we were there.?
For $600, Darton gave them a crossbow complete with scope and a special hand-crank to cock it, plus arrows and a case.
‘Darton treated us like kings,? Ingles said.
Brown, a Vietnam-era veteran who served in Marine Corps from 1968-70, is most grateful for the ‘continuous support? both he and Wheelin? Team 457 receive ‘from my brothers.?
‘They have a heart bigger than all outdoors at this post. Anytime there’s a need, they see it and step forward,? he said. ‘I’ve never had a veteran tell me ‘no.? And most of the time, veterans step up without me even asking.?
Money for the crossbow came from a combination of the AMVETS? annual clover sale in September and the Texas Hold’em tournaments the group conducts on a regular basis.
‘It’s amazing how many people in the Oxford area have supported us in our poker tournaments,? Ingles noted.