‘The best day of the summer': Beach Day unites Wildwood lifeguards and children with Down syndrome

The Praweckyj sisters bounded around the sandy Lincoln Avenue beach, their feet splashing through the ocean water as the salty breeze swept through their golden hair.

Her fingers wrapped around a pretzel, Sage Praweckyj, 8, ran with her sister, Veronica, 6, toward a 20-foot guard tower to pose for a photo with lifeguards and other children.

Their mother, Jen Depew, of Harleysville, smiled as she watched her daughters frolic. The beach was theirs for the day.

Every summer, the Wildwood Beach Patrol partners with 21 Down, a Down syndrome awareness nonprofit that serves Atlantic and Cape May Counties, to organize 21 Down Beach Day, an event designed to provide children with Down syndrome and their families with a day of carefree summer fun.

Lifeguards engage the children by providing surf lessons on soft-top paddleboards, planning relay races, and playing in the sand.

“I was excited about it because they love the beach,” said Depew, who brought her daughters to the event Monday for the first time. "It’s just nice to be around the community of people with Down syndrome because it’s a more comforting feeling. They know what it’s like.”

Senior career lifeguard Billy Auty, one of the event organizers, said when it first started 11 years ago, only about a handful of families participated. There were more than 250 visitors expected at Monday’s event.

Watching the lifeguards and beachgoers as their faces light up makes this “the best day of the summer for sure,” Auty said.

“It bridges boundaries maybe where some guards would not feel comfortable approaching a child or an adult with Down syndrome,” he said. “Just having the ocean as a common bond lets everyone have their guard down.”

Sharing the day with the families inspires the lifeguards, said Wildwood Beach Patrol Chief Steve Stocks.

“Unfortunately, people have a tendency to complain about little things in their lives that are going wrong,” he said. “They see families that are taking care of children with disabilities, [and] it gives you a perspective of what life is really about and what hardship and difficult times are really about.”

Caretakers of these children get VIP treatment for the day, allowing them to relax and know their children are safe under the watchful eyes of the lifeguards, Stocks said.

“It’s the one day I can relax on the beach," said Jill Patro, the president of 21 Down and the mother of a child with Down syndrome.

The guards seem to soak up the opportunity for oceanside fun as much as the children, Patro said. Siblings can play with each other, parents aren’t obligated to hover watchfully over their children, and the beach taxi service provides convenient transportation from the Boardwalk to the beach for those with limited mobility.

Ocean City resident Pam Ginet, treasurer of 21 Down, said the kids look forward to the day and recognize, “Hey, that person’s like me."

Her 19-year-old son Zach, a member of Ocean City High School’s surf team, has come to the Beach Day since its first year. On Monday, he donned a neon-colored shirt with “WBP" printed on the back, the abbreviation for Wildwood Beach Patrol.

Ginet said her son would like to become a lifeguard or a police officer.

“We’re thinking of something that we can do,” she said, grinning at her son as she spoke of his career aspirations.

Parents of children with Down syndrome grapple with issues affecting their child’s education and health that not all their friends and colleagues encounter, Ginet said. This day allows parents to network and share stories about those common challenges, but also unites them in celebrating their children’s triumphs.

“You come here and everyone has that one thing in common: we all have a kid with Down syndrome," she said. “We just share that and enjoy the day.”