In Honor of Jack Kropp’s 30th Birthday, Sea Isle Received a New Beach Wheelchair

Mayor Leonard Desiderio and Jack Kropp’s family and friends outside the Community Center on Aug. 11 with the beach wheelchair purchased in honor of his 30th birthday.

Jack Kropp with his mom, Reenie, and his sister, Colleen, at his 30th birthday party at Elwyn.

In 2012, Reenie and the late John Kropp of West Chester, Pa., began vacationing in Sea Isle City with their daughter Colleen and their son Jack. Jack is differently abled and uses a wheelchair.

“We came to Sea Isle because it was the most handicap-friendly beach area that we could find,” Reenie Kropp says. “We had always rented in Ocean City, and everything had steps and steps. It says family-friendly; well, it’s family-friendly if you can get up and down steps.”

Kropp’s sister had a place on 74th Street in Sea Isle. After visiting, they fell in love with the town and began renting at Spinnaker.

“It has a pool, elevators, and is the closest to the beach,” Kropp explains. “We could use Sea Isle’s beach wheelchair and get Jack down there.”

In 2015, the family bought a condo at Spinnaker, and this year, Kropp relocated to Sea Isle City permanently.

In May, Jack celebrated a milestone birthday: No. 30.

Jack Kropp during his annual beach trip to Sea Isle City made possible through the Recreation Department’s beach wheelchair program.

“We always had little family celebrations, but for his 30th, my daughter said, ‘Mom, we've got to really do something for Jack,’” Kropp says. “So, we got all my siblings, nieces and nephews, and closest friends to come celebrate.”

The party was at Elwyn in Media, Pa., and 40 people attended. Some even made the journey all the way from Sea Isle City. Among those venturing from New Jersey was Gail Willard.

Willard is a resident of Brookhaven, Pa., but since she and her husband, Tom Price, retired, they now spend 90% of their time at their home in Sea Isle. “Sea Isle is a wonderful town,” she says, “and the friendships that you form down in Sea Isle are lasting.”

Willard is active in the community, a member of the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City, the VFW, and the Commodore Club. It was at the Commodore Club that Willard first met the Kropps.

“Five years ago, coming off the beach, I went into the Commodore Club,” Willard recalls. “I was wearing a Sea Isle T-shirt with ‘Exit 17’ on the front. Reenie was sitting there and told me she loved my shirt. And that's how our friendship started, over a T-shirt.”

Fast-forward five years, and Willard is brainstorming ideas for Jack’s birthday. Earlier that week, at an organization meeting, she had learned that Sea Isle’s beach wheelchairs needed to be refurbished and that the beach patrol needed a few more chairs since tourism had increased. Sea Isle beach wheelchairs are available for the public to rent for two weeks through the beach patrol.

“I had seen pictures of Jack in the wheelchair having a good time,” Willard says, “and I thought, ‘Let’s honor Jack; he would love to give back to the community.’ So, I asked Reenie for permission to ask everyone at the birthday party to give me money for a fundraiser to get a wheelchair.”

“When Gail brought up the idea,” Kropp says, “I thought about how Jack loved the beach so much, and how it would be a great honor and a tribute to him. Jack loved the water. He just loved that beach."

“As soon as you took him out of the ocean, he was all annoyed, like, ‘Come on, let’s go back in.’ It was one of the things that brought him such joy, such happiness. I loved seeing his face when he got near the water. People on the beach would stop and just watch him because he was just so happy.”

Willard met with the recreation department and determined the cost would be around $1,800 for a new beach wheelchair. She presented the idea at Jack’s birthday party and started to receive donations.

“Afterwards, we came back down to Sea Isle and were sitting at the VFW bar chatting about the party and the donations coming in,” Willard says. “People overheard us talking, and that night, everyone was handing me donations for Jack’s chair.”

In the end, 38 people donated a total of $2,840, far exceeding the $1,800 goal.

Says Willard: “And now when people hear about it, they say, ‘Gail, why didn’t you ask me for money? We would have gladly donated.’”

Jack and his dad, the late John Kropp, at their home in West Chester.

Jack Kropp with legendary Philadelphia DJ, the late Jerry Blavat.

Kropp has experienced similar comments: “Even now we have people saying, ‘Why didn't you ask me?’ It was really, truly amazing to me. The Sea Isle community is unbelievable. I honestly was speechless that people I had met recently wanted to donate.”

The donation was presented to the Sea Isle Beach Patrol and in August, a beach wheelchair was purchased in Jack’s honor. The additional money will go toward another wheelchair or a beach-accessible device.

“In Sea Isle, when you walk down the street, everyone says hello and smiles, no matter what,” Willard notes. “It’s a community down here. It’s not just a place to live. You’re part of the community.”

If you are interested in contributing to the beach wheelchair cause, Sea Isle City’s Recreation Department accepts donations to aid in repair costs and purchases.

Jack Kropp with his aunts and cousins.