Elks grateful

As a member of the Thousand Oaks Elks Lodge No. 2477 that donated $1 per member and over $500 to the World War II Memorial, we were stunned on June 13 to receive from the pharmacy staff at Los Robles Hospital a gift of airline tickets to see the completed memorial.

We were absolutely humbled by their generosity and wish to thank all of them for making a dream wish come true. As we grow older in years, we realize the importance of paying respects.

Thanks you for allowing me to pay respects to that great generation for whom the WW II Memorial was dedicated and who sacrificed so much in order to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today.

Thank you for the opportunity to pay our respects also to our Founding Fathers who sacrificed so much to make this country great.

In the movie “Dead Poets Society,” a high school teacher tries to impart to his students carpe diem, or “seize the day.” With your generosity you are allowing me the opportunity to seize the day and feel the patriotism and love of country that I thought would be out of reach in my lifetime.

Thank you for your kind generosity and making this dream wish a reality. Jerry Serota Thousand Oaks