Beach-Walker Project

 We are actively working with the Town of Wrightsville Beach, Mercer's Pier & Ocean Cure to provide a pilot program for our handicap beach access named "Beach-Walker Project". It's a durable 100' x 6.5' rollable & stowable mat system with a vehicle crossover by Mobi-Mat to allow disabled beach-goers to cross our beach strand & get to the ocean. 

The system includes a roll-up cart for storage & deploying the access mat, as needed, during our beach-going season.  Our goal is to procure this for our pilot program at Johnny Mercer's Fishing Pier following our Fins Up Festival & have it ready to launch for the 2026 beach season.  Our hopes are that it compliments the Town's Sand Wheelchair program, already in place & can expand to more access points in the future.

The Mobi-Mat system can be simply deployed or stowed, is durable & UV resistant, as well as made from recycled materials.  Each unit runs about $11,600 (mats. cart & shipping).  We already have pledges from a handful of donors supporting the program & will highlight this project during our year-long activities.

The name "Beach-Walker Project" is in honor of Kevin Walker, an everlasting friend to each of us, a strong community supporter & member of the Wrightsville Beach Waterman Hall of Fame.  Kevin made the first donation to our group in 2018.  He and his company rebuilt  the original Johnny Mercer's Fishing Pier (1930's)  with the current concrete structure in 2001.  The new pier is 1200 feet long & built to withstand up to 200 mph winds. It's one of the most well-known landmark's of Wrightsville Beach, NC.

Our organization is dedicated to maintaining the high quality of the beach & south coastal lifestyle in the Wrightsville Beach, Wilmington & Cape Fear area. We believe that each of us can contibute to protecting the vast natural beauty & incredible waterscapes that we enjoy.  Join us in keeping this wonderfully unique area, that we call home, accessible & so very special!