Non-profit announces 5 Winners of the SMILE Mass Floating Beach Chair Award
April 26, 2024 (Sudbury, MA) – SMILE Mass continues to expand its successful floating beach wheelchair program while advancing its goal of making New England public ponds and beaches accessible to all, regardless of their disability, by announcing the winners of the 2024 SMILE Mass Floating Beach Chair Award.
“There is something special about the beach, and no matter one’s age, a day at the beach always makes life a little easier,” explained SMILE Mass founder and president Lotte Diomede. Because the beach is such a magical place, SMILE Mass wants everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy it, regardless of their disability. We believe the little things in life can make memories that last a lifetime for everyone.”
“As a result, we are excited to announce that we have selected five winners of the 2024 Floating Beach Wheelchair Award. We are thrilled to award chairs to public beaches in Short Beach in Nahant, Lake Gardner Beach in Amesbury, Plum Island Beach in Newburyport, MA, Standish, ME, and Mass Audubon’s Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary Beach in Barnstable.”
Ed and Dawn Miles, residents of Nahant and neighbors of Short Beach, applied for the award via the SMILE Mass application process and were thrilled to be one of the five beaches selected. The couple raised a portion of the funds for the chair through donations in lieu of flowers following the passing of Dawn’s mother, Beverly English, in July 2023.
“My mother-in-law and her friends were avid beachgoers until they had physical limitations from various conditions that come with age,” explained Ed. “They were not safely able to walk on the sand. We requested donations to SMILE Mass after her unexpected passing in hopes of placing a chair at Short Beach. Nahant has a large elderly population that grew up loving the beach but is limited in accessing the water. Many of them thanked us for attempting to get the chair. They can’t wait to use it.”
“We have driven to SMILE Mass’ office in Sudbury to borrow the floating chairs for two great-grandmothers to enjoy their family beach outings. Each time, people stopped us to ask where we got the chairs, as their parents or grandparents would really need them. Others came by to sneak a peek of their grandchildren at the beach, and we offered to transport them with the chair to and from their family’s spot on the beach.”
Miles continued, “Short Beach is a very shallow slope and a wind-protected beach that is perfect for floating wheelchair use. The soft sand makes it difficult for persons with access needs to make it to the water or even off the walkway safely. The chair will allow many elderly and physically challenged adults and children to get onto the beach and into the water safely.”
SMILE Mass (Small Miracles in Life Exist) is a 501C3 non-profit organization that helps families raising children or adults with disabilities enjoy happy, healthy memories through education, vacation, and recreation experiences.
Since its inception, SMILE Mass has donated more than 180 floating beach wheelchairs to public ponds and beaches throughout New England to make them more accessible to the disabled. SMILE Mass established the program to ensure that local ponds and beaches are accessible to everyone.
“For many, a trip to the beach is a relaxing way to enjoy sun, water, and family time on a beautiful summer day, explained Lotte, who co-founded SMILE Mass in 2010 after raising funds and constructing the MetroWest’s first universally designed playground located in Sudbury. “For those with a physically disabled family member, such a day can be far from relaxing, often filled with struggles and unexpected challenges due to the lack of accessibility to the beach. It was an extension of our playground project when we brought accessibility to the beach.”
Due to the overwhelming demand for the program, the organization launched the SMILE Mass Floating Beach Wheelchair Awards Program, which allows towns and cities to apply for their own floating beach wheelchair. Officials associated with the city or town or residents could apply for the award to make their beach location more accessible to all.
SMILE Mass will present the chair to the Miles family and the town of Nahant at a ceremony prior to the start of the summer beach season.
Ms. Diomede is excited to participate in the presentation. “We present the chairs surrounded by a little pomp and circumstance. It’s a big event when accessibility is introduced or expanded in an area, and the decision of the town or municipality to promote accessibility should be celebrated. People with disabilities have the same rights as others, and enjoying a day at the beach is not just a luxury but a right that anyone should be able to experience.”
You can find a list of other participating beaches where the SMILE Mass chairs are located at https://smilemass.org/initiative/beach-wheelchairs/.
In addition to creating several playgrounds and the Floating Beach Wheelchair program, SMILE Mass operates a free equipment loaner program for families with disabled family members who may be going on a day, week, or extended vacation.
“The loaner program was started as an extension of the beach wheelchair program, explained Lotte. “Once word got out about the beach wheelchairs we were donating to public beaches, people started calling because they vacationed in an area that did not yet have one of the donated chairs.”
To help alleviate that issue, SMILE Mass started a loaner program out of Sudbury, Massachusetts. Families can borrow adapted equipment to take anywhere. The inventory includes floating beach wheelchairs, a bath chair with a back, a blue Freedom running stroller, a Hoyer lift (provide your own sling), and portable ramps. Any of these items can be borrowed to help families enjoy a day of recreation or a vacation away from home with the right amenities.
SMILE Mass also owns a fully accessible vacation home on the beautiful Truro beach in Massachusetts, providing families with disabled loved ones a much-needed break and an inclusive environment to create lasting memories. The handicap-accessible beachfront condo sits just 75 feet from the ocean and allows accessibility for any family traveling with loved ones with disabilities. The condo sleeps six, with a private beach, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and parking for up to four vehicles.
Club SMILE Mass, the organization’s fastest-growing program to date, consists of hybrid classes to stimulate clients with disabilities both mentally and physically. Classes include access to one-on-one training or small group classes, swimming classes at Atkinson Swimming Pool in Sudbury, and seven-day-per-week access to any LA Fitness in Massachusetts. The program also includes in-person social groups, including music therapy with the book club, storytime, bingo games, small group workout classes, and bike evaluations via Zoom. A physical therapist performs the bike evaluations. , All trainers of Club SMILE Mass are fully trained and certified.
“We have received dozens of inquiries from families and organizations struggling with the lack of available services due to the labor shortage in the healthcare sector. These services were previously available to this vulnerable population but dried up during Covid,” continued Diomede. “Through Club SMILE Mass, we provide much-needed daily activities with a focus on movement. There are currently no existing clubs for someone with disabilities, which is a huge problem, and this is why Club SMILE Mass has become so popular.”
SMILE Mass plans to purchase land, which will be the home of “Club SMILE Mass, Community within a Community,” to help bring a sense of equity and inclusion to the severely disabled population in MetroWest.
“We have been working to reach an agreement with the owners of a property in MetroWest to complete the acquisition of the property. The property will allow us to bring our Club SMILE Mass program in-house and provide immediate relief to thousands of families in Massachusetts without the needed services. This is why fundraising is especially critical,” explained Ms. Diomede.
“This is our biggest undertaking yet,” continued Lotte. It is an opportunity for those who believe in equity and equality to resolve a national crisis following the pandemic. We are a grass-roots organization that receives no state funding. All our programs are made possible through grants, fundraising, annual sponsorships, and donations by those who know of all the good SMILE Mass does for the population of the disabled and their families.”
We rely on our existing donors, new donors, and sponsors to take us through each phase of the three-phase Capital Campaign. There is a donation level for everyone, regardless of your financial means.” To donate to the Capital Campaign or any of our programs, visit the SMILE Mass website at smilemass.org or call Lotte at 617-967-7755.
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About SMILE Mass: Small Miracles in Life Exist (SMILE Mass) is a 501 C3 non-profit organization dedicated to helping families raising children or adults with disabilities enjoy happy, healthy memories through vacation and recreation experiences. For more information, visit www.smilemass.org
Contact information: Lotte Diomede- President-Founder lotte@smilemass.org 617-967-7755
Susan Brown-Vice President- Co-founder susan@smilemass.org 978-460-7410
Todd Civin- Director of Communications -todd@smilemass.org-978-502-1453
MetroWest Medical Center