SPRINGETTSBURY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) – The York County community is rallying around a beloved store greeter who they say is like family.
Chris Veseth has worked at the Springettsbury Township Lowe’s for 18 years. He’s never one to ask for help, so a co-worker started a fundraiser to give Chris something he desperately needs.
“Hi, guys! How can I help you?” Chris said with a contagious smile on his face Friday.
Chris knows most of his customers by name.
“Do you need some help Donna?” he said at the front of the Lowe’s store.
The customers know Chris by name.
“The first person I look forward to seeing is Chris because he’s always here greeting the customers, happy to help, always has a smile,” said Sheryl Houghton, a longtime Lowe’s customer.
Chris is known for his positive attitude despite the challenges he and his twin sister face.
“We were born three months early, and they found out a couple months later we had cerebral palsy,” Chris said. “I then developed spinal meningitis.”
The greeter with a long brown beard never lets his disability stop him.
“There’s going to be things we can do, and things we can’t do, but you’ve got to concentrate on the things you can do,” Chris said.
Chris had to use several rolls of gorilla tape to keep his old wheelchair together, but that’s now a thing of the past thanks to the generosity of the community.
The community raised more than $27,000 for his new, customized wheelchair. Chris is saving the extra money to get his sister a walker and if he needs another wheelchair.
“It’s a small town, and it’s very nice to everyone to come together and help me out. I’m glad to help anybody out. They returned the favor, and I really appreciate it.”
Customers and co-workers appreciate Chris and call him an inspiration.
“Looking at my own life, what excuse do I have to not be grateful and not be thankful for what I do have, so it just kind of puts things in perspective,” said Dan Sullivan, a Lowe’s customer.
“They might be having a bad day coming into the store, and Chris is always positive, always cheerful, ready to help, ready to help them with anything they need where ever it may be in the store,” said Lowe’s Assistant Store Manager Freeman Goodling, who’s worked with Chris for 18 years.
“I’ll have tears in my eyes for the rest of my life,” Chris said.
Chris is touched by the generosity he’s received while inspiring others to make the most of what they’ve been given.Get breaking news, weather and traffic on the go. Download our News App and our Weather App for your phone and tablet.
