CARBON COUNTY, Pa. — Karalyn Williams spent many summer days on the beach at Mauch Chunk Lake Park near Jim Thorpe...many of them with her mom Melissa Dietrich.
But today, She returned alone, with a symbol of her late mother's love for the beach and the idea to help others enjoy it.
"Any chance she got to be here, she was here. She had a favorite spot, and it was always in the grass over right by the ramp, and now that I look back, I realize it was her mobility issues. She couldn't actually go into the sand," said Karalyn Williams of Lehighton.
Dietrich dealt with mobility issues for several years and in December of 2022, was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer.
Her final wish, before she died in May of this year, was to go to the beach one last time with her children and grandchildren.
"We went away to Florida and we got to experience these beach chairs in other areas, and my mom made the comment this should be everywhere. Every beach needs these, especially Mauch Chunk. So when I thought about doing something for the community, I knew that's what it was going to be."
Williams started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the beach wheelchairs at the lake.
In Just a week, she was able to purchase this one.
"The community is the impact of this. I couldn't have done this alone, and I'm so thankful for each of them," said Williams.
Officials at the park loved Williams' idea so much that they plan on matching her donation and buying a second beach wheelchair.
"Hopefully the people see them, and they kind of promote themselves, and people utilize them and take advantage of it, and they're able to go into the beach where before they weren't able," said Mauch Chunk Lake Park Director Dave Horvath.
"My mom really always just wanted to help others, and it couldn't be more perfect than to have the place that she loved and still helping others," added Williams.
Williams hopes to have four beach wheelchairs at the park for next season as a way to not just keep her mother's memory alive but to share her love of the beach with others who never could.