New partnership between Lane County Parks and non-profit David's Chair increases beach access in Florence
Lane County Parks is proud to partner with David’s Chair to provide beach access to people with mobility challenges at Heceta Beach in Florence!
David’s Chair provides FREE access to all-terrain track chairs that can help people who otherwise would not be able to enjoy the beach spend time on the sand.
“We are so excited to help bring this to Lane County,” said Lane County Parks Volunteer Coordinator Jodi Low. “We want as many people as possible to enjoy the beach. We’ve heard a lot of excitement from people who have mobility limitations of their own, as well as people who are excited to take their aging parents or grandparents back to a place they used to be able to enjoy together.”
The chair is available to reserve Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Reservations must be made through the David’s Chair website at www.davidschair.org. Once reserved, the chair can be picked up at Driftwood Shores Resort.*
“The response so far has been wonderful,” said Jeff Kallevig, operations manager at David’s Chair. “We now have six locations along the Oregon Coast where people can reserve these chairs and we hope to have many more. It’s a privilege to help people enjoy the outdoors by providing access to equipment that is often too costly for individuals and isn’t usually covered by insurance.”
The partnership was made possible, in large part, thanks to voter support of last year’s Lane County Parks levy. The $5,000 provided by Lane County Parks will help provide maintenance funding for the chair to ensure people can enjoy it for years to come.
About David’s Chair
David’s Chair was created in 2017 by friends David Hatrick and Steve Furst. Its mission is to give the gift of independence to people with ALS and other mobility challenges by providing them with access to track chairs capable of taking on the outdoors, including beaches. Learn more about David and the organization at www.davidschair.org.
*Driftwood Shores Resort does not manage reservations. Please do not contact Lane County Parks or Driftwood Shores with reservation requests or questions.