An online fundraising campaign is raising money to support the family of a Cabrillo College student and football player who was killed in a head-on crash Aug. 17 on Freedom Boulevard in Aptos. Friends and family will gather Sept. 5 for a memorial service.
As of Monday, more than 200 people had helped a GoFundMe campaign set up to support the family of Luke Salem, 23, of Santa Cruz, surpass $37,000 in donations toward a goal of $50,000.
“On August 17th, we lost our beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, boyfriend, and friend in a head-on car collision,” Marie Salem wrote in launching the fundraiser to support the Salem family, which includes Luke Salem’s mother, Mellisa; father, Tommy; sister, Jordan; and brothers Noah and Chad. “Luke was bigger than life with an old soul. He gave his all to every passion and hobby. He loved his family, pets, playing football at Cabrillo, gardening, surfing, fishing, God, snowboarding, baseball, cooking, playing alto saxophone, his classic car, and building light sabers.”
Salem was driving a white 1966 Chrysler Newport westbound on Freedom Boulevard when it collided head-on with an eastbound red 2017 Honda CR-V driven by a 49-year-old man who was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
A memorial service for Salem will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church, 435 Monterey Ave., Capitola.
Salem attended Harbor High School before enrolling at Cabrillo College, where he played football. His teammates honored him in social media posts following his death, saying his “love, compassion, and support for his teammates are already missed.”
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