In the summer of 2022, Sara, ACP’s CEO, visited long-time ACP supporters, Kemp Jaycox and Cindy Fink, on Cape Cod. When she arrived, she was struck by the accessibility of the beach house they were staying in. After remarking about this, Kemp and Cindy told her the beautiful property they were staying in is available through SMILE Mass. Small Miracles in Life Exist (SMILE Mass) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping children and adults with disabilities, and their families, enjoy happy, healthy memories through vacation and recreation experiences.
SMILE Mass was created in 2009 by two women with a personal interest in improving the lives of those with special needs. Lotte Diomede’s son, Nicholas, was born premature with a buildup of fluid on his brain (hydrocephalus). This condition typically causes increased pressure within the skull, resulting in brain damage. Susan Brown’s daughter, Kristen, had brain surgery when she was 3 years old for seizures that could not be controlled with medication. As a result, she is developmentally delayed with some mobility issues. SMILE Mass was born out of a simple goal – to install a handicap accessible swing at a playground in Sudbury, MA so that
Nicholas would be able to enjoy the park alongside his younger sister and friends. The people in town rallied behind this goal and it evolved into constructing an entire playground that children of all abilities could enjoy. In Lotte’s words, “I’m a firm believer that the first place that you learn, make friends, and become part of the community is often the playground, especially when you live in suburbia. For thousands of families living with kids like my son, that’s just not a possibility because playgrounds are not accessible. Nobody is playing with them and they can’t get on the equipment. This is just wrong.” The SMILE playground is now a landmark in Sudbury and a model for towns across the Commonwealth and beyond. To date, SMILE Mass has helped to build seven fully accessible playgrounds across the area.
Regardless of a person’s age or ability, there is something special about spending a relaxing day at the beach. Unfortunately, most are not handicapped accessible. In 2010, Lotte and Susan turned their focus to allowing people with special needs the same pleasure by donating a floating beach wheelchair to every public beach on Cape Cod that requested one. To date, SMILE Mass has donated 180 floating beach wheelchairs to public beaches throughout New England. The SMILE Mass equipment loaner program was started as an extension of the beach wheelchair program. Their inventory includes: floating beach wheelchairs, adapted bicycles, snow sleds, jog strollers, portable ramps, a bath chair and a Hoyer lift. Anyone with a disability can borrow this specialized equipment to use for a day or a week, at home or on vacation.
Lotte believes that everyone should be able to go on vacation, relax and have fun with friends and family. Unfortunately, finding fully accessible facilities with the right amenities can be very difficult for those with special needs. If found, they often come with extra fees that make it difficult for many families to afford. In 2018, SMILE Mass acquired the town house where Kemp and Cindy vacationed in Truro, MA. Cindy grew up visiting Cape Cod with her parents and fell in love with vacationing there. Due to the progression of Kemp’s MS, travel has become incredibly difficult which has robbed their family of something they always enjoyed doing.
Cindy took their daughter, Kate, to the Cape twice without Kemp, but felt guilty being there without him. One night she Googled “accessible beach houses on Cape Cod” and discovered SMILE Mass. Kemp shares, “Thanks to this organization, I have been able to enjoy two vacations which otherwise would have been impossible. I can sit in my wheelchair on platforms and look out at the beauty of Cape Cod Bay. And with the help of my caregiver and my family, I was able to transfer to the beach wheelchair and stick my feet in the sand for the first time in eight years. My family and I are incredibly grateful to Lotte and Susan for everything they do to assist families like ours!” The SMILE Mass beach house is a fully handicapped accessible space right on the beach that is designed to accommodate people with a wide range of disabilities. This beautiful vacation home is available for rent to families with a disabled member, with financial assistance provided to those who qualify.
SMILE Mass also offers a wide range of classes designed to stimulate their clients both mentally and physically. The Club SMILE Mass programs are currently run out of Lifetime Athletic MetroWest-Boston. They offer in-person exercise options such as one-on-one training, small group workout classes, biking and swim lessons. Other activities include music therapy, story time, bingo and book club. Participants have the option of participating in many of these activities remotely via Zoom. All classes are run by certified staff. To ensure the appropriate support and safety of each participant, an intake evaluation is done and any necessary adapted equipment is loaned to the client while they are part of the program. According to Lotte, “Club SMILE Mass is a movement club. Anyone with a disability can participate. Currently our youngest client is 4 and our oldest is 59… The reason we call it a club is because I want to do things that are ‘normal’ for our kids. Just because they have disabilities, it doesn’t mean that everything has to have ‘therapy’ after the word. When they are with their friends on a typical Saturday night, I want them to be able to say, ‘Tomorrow I am going to club SMILE Mass and having swim lessons.’ I just want it to be normal. We call it swim lessons, but we work on functional movement. It’s easier to move in the water than it is on the ground. We work on water safety and skills building.”
Anyone interested in SMILE Mass programs can find more information on their website, or by contacting Lotte directly. The organization currently services approximately 30,000 families, mostly in New England, but some of their clients are much farther away. According to Lotte, “Our beach wheelchair program is used more broadly than any of the other programs. We have clients in Norway and Italy and a couple of families from AZ and CA. If a long-distance family needs a beach wheelchair, we ship one to them. When they are done with it, they ship it back. We don’t charge for the product itself. They only have to pay for the shipping. If a family needs a wheelchair delivered, we charge $25 an hour. If they are picking it up, it costs nothing to borrow one.”
SMILE Mass programs are currently scattered across multiple venues. The organization is in the process of acquiring property in the metro-west area of Massachusetts on which to establish their Community within a Community. This program will enable SMILE Mass to bring all of their services to one location. The property will include an adaptive and inclusive outdoor recreation area and there will be a pavilion where Club SMILE Mass classes can be held. Adapted equipment will be available for use on the property through the equipment loaner program. In Lotte’s words, “SMILE Mass started at my dining room table in Sudbury. It has now migrated to my basement and we are outgrowing every inch and corner of the house. We are slowly but surely setting ourselves up for the next big thing, which would be our Community in a Community. Families raising children and adults with disabilities will have the opportunity to join a club in their community, just like anyone else, hopefully fostering friendships in the process.”
When asked what her biggest challenge is, Lotte states, “SMILE Mass is growing faster than we can think, so it’s really hard finding quality staff and raising money fast enough.” Anyone interested in making a donation can do so by clicking the donate button on the SMILE Mass website. The SMILE Mass VIP Coffee Club offers the opportunity to contribute the cost of a daily cup of coffee to SMILE Mass (drinking coffee isn’t required to join the club). Other ways to support SMILE Mass include hosting an event that benefits the organization or joining the SMILE Mass running team at their annual road race. This year, SMILE Mass will have teams participating in the Ragnar Relay NE on May 19-20th.
When asked what she enjoys most about SMILE Mass, Lotte shares, “These amazing humans drive me. They are crushing their goals and getting better. My favorite part is to challenge them. It’s all about building trust and knowing that they can succeed. It’s also providing hope and stability to their families. This creates a sense of normalcy in a world where it’s not normal to raise a kid with disabilities. We provide a platform where they feel worthy, included and where they can thrive and still grow. That is incredible.” When asked what her vision or hope is for the future, “Having all of our programs in one place in our Community within a Community will allow us to utilize our equipment and resources better and service even more people. I also want to continue to challenge cities and towns to look at what changes should be made to include every community member. It’s really my aspiration that the world becomes a little bit kinder and we are a little bit more flexible and help each other instead of always just worrying about the bottom line.”
In conclusion, Lotte shares, “I always say a smile can change somebody’s day. A smile can start a new conversation. A smile can start the relationship and it can end a fight. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of compassion and understanding for one another… We’re working toward giving families quality of life and a sense of hope and belonging, that’s why I want to build this facility. With the right tools, everything is possible. If you think it, you can believe it. If you believe it, you can make it. What I love the most about SMILE Mass is seeing how these families are thriving with the very little we can provide. I can only imagine when we have our own facility what we will be able to do. These kids don’t do what a normal 22- or 30-year-old does, but they are living, having fun, laughing and making friends. Isn’t that what life is all about?”
