When Frederick Potter’s wheelchair nudged against the shallow water that hits the sand at Oakland Beach this week, he couldn’t wait to get his shoes off and dip his toes in the tide.

A broad smile spread across his face, and he let out a sigh. “Fan-tas-tic,” he said, elongating the syllables for emphasis.

This was no ordinary splash along the shoreline for Potter and he was not in an ordinary wheelchair.  Potter was helping the city demonstrate two new sand-worthy wheelchairs that will now make the beach accessible to people who would not have been able to navigate the terrain otherwise.

“It’s been three years since I’ve been able to go to the beach,” said Potter who is battling coronary and pulmonary illnesses.  “It feels fantastic…I am grateful”

The chairs, which look ‘beachy’ with blue and white striped seating and giant yellow wheels, were donated to the city by the Joey Andrade Foundation. A local non-profit organization, it is dedicated to acts of kindness and inclusion for anyone with a special need. It is named after Joseph Andrade, a local teenager who died unexpectedly last year at the age of 17.

“Kindness is universal,” said Jeanne Muto-Kyle, Joey’s aunt who runs the foundation with Joey’s mom, Pat Andrade.  “There was a need in the community for these wheelchairs.”

Potter, who used to walk the beach regularly, began advocating for beach access for people in wheelchairs about a year ago – taking to social media to post about how much he missed being able to feel the sand and the sea.

Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi said that his wife, Kim, brought the post to his attention and that the city was working on purchasing a couple of special wheelchairs when the Andrade Foundation stepped in.  “The community came together to do something nice and that is Warwick,” he said after helping Potter and Warwick Beacon editor John Howell take maiden trips in the colorful new chairs.

Picozzi said that the wheelchairs will be available for free at Oakland Beach daily on a first-come, first-served basis and the city will assess the response before deciding whether to purchase more for other beach areas in Warwick. “If you live here near the beach, it can be your whole world,” he said.

The special wheelchairs cost about $2,800 each, but the Joey Andrade Foundation was able to get them for about $2,400 a piece.

Muto-Kyle said that the organization, which works under the credo that “we are all unique,” was happy to make the Oakland Beach shoreline more accessible.  She recalls seeing vans from assisted living residences taking people to Oakland Beach but then have to have people just sit in the parking lot because their wheelchairs couldn’t navigate the sand.

In the year since the organization was founded it has dedicated itself to a number of initiatives including work with the Autism Project, committing random acts of kindness once a month and helping educators with special needs students.  Joey attended the Sargent Rehabilitation Center in Warwick and was described by his family as having the ability to “light up a room with his big heart and contagious giggle.”

Potter, who lives not far from Oakland Beach, said he decided to turn to social media to advocate for more beach access because it was hard to be so close to a place he used to love to go, but could no longer access.

A former manager in the long-distance trucking industry, he and his wife Patricia moved to the area about 12 years ago and the beach was a big attraction.  The couple are both originally from Cranston but have lived in a number of states across the country because of Potter’s career.  

After Monday’s demonstration, the Potters returned to their ranch-style home on Kane Avenue and reflected on the day.  Potter relies on regular use of an oxygen tank but has seemingly boundless energy.  “I just might have taken a swim,” he said with a laugh.  “I can’t tell you how good it felt to have my feet in the water.

“As I always say, I am a lucky man.”