Melissa Dietrich loved taking her children to Mauch Chunk Lake Park’s beach, allowing them to enjoy the lake, fish and camp.

But her medical conditions didn’t allow her to keep pace with two youngsters, and she always set down a blanket on the grass, next to a handicapped accessible ramp at the lake.

“As a kid, I simply thought of her favorite spot by the ramp as, ‘Mom’s spot,’” said her daughter, Karalyn Williams of Lehighton. “Now, I understand that her mobility was limited around the lake.”

Dietrich, who dealt with mobility issues related to a heart condition and related complications for decades, passed away from an aggressive cancer in May.

Her last wish was a trip to enjoy the beach, and the family flew to Florida, spending time at Disney and Clearwater Beach, Williams said.

Following her death, Williams knew she wanted to honor her mother’s memory and helping spirit in some way.

Thinking about their times at Mauch Chunk Lake Park and her mom’s last trip to a Florida beach, she remembered her mom saying how all beaches should have wheelchairs designed for the sand, like the one she used in Clearwater.

“She appreciated how easily she could maneuver it, conserving her energy to truly enjoy the beach,” Williams said.

Providing that same access to all areas of the beach - and not just the areas closest to handicapped ramp - for others became a goal, she said.

Because of her mother’s love for Mauch Chunk Lake Park, Williams reached out to the park first and found they didn’t have a special wheelchair to access the sand or even cross the beach to the restrooms or concession stand.

Williams approached the Carbon County Parks and Recreation Commission, and learned the board was looking at accessibility and maintenance to the existing concrete ramp to the lake.

The board granted her approval to raise funds for a beach wheelchair in her mother’s name, and she set up a page on GoFundMe, an online fundraising platform.

Within a week, Williams received enough donations to buy one chair, and will continue raising funds for additional chairs.

“The outpouring of support from the community left me deeply touched,” she said. “I recognized that I couldn’t undertake this endeavor alone and the community’s backing meant the world to me.”

Williams thinks about her mother’s welcoming smile, her positive outlook on life despite health challenges and desire to live and enjoy everything the world had to offer - especially the beach.

“I miss her more than words can describe,” she said. “But it brings me great joy and comfort to know others will get to enjoy the chair donation. My mom would be so happy to see all of this.”

Anyone interested in donating to buy additional beach wheelchairs can visit Williams’ GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/handicap-accessible-chairs-for-the-lake.