Kids Coming Together

As many of you already know from recent press updates, we will be building the playground on Deland Park! The playground will be situated on the back side of Deland Park - between the tennis courts and the the community shelter. It will be wonderful to have a playground for every child to use, for every child to have the opportunity to be a child. Everyone loves the feeling of a summers breeze at the lake! This is going to be a great place to spend the day and a great asset to our community. Thank you City of Sheboygan for your support!

*****Children’s music by Fred Turk and the Balloon Lady from 6 to 7:30!!!***

On November 6, 2008 we will be having our Design Day Celebration! It is at Blue Harbor Resort in Conference rooms B,C and D. Beginning at 6 p.m. Please join us and enjoy one of the first looks at the playground design!

 Gerber Leisure Products, will be designing the playground and will have two representatives present to give a presentation on the preliminary design of the playground and to answer any questions. Gerber Leisure Products will be designing the playground around the ideas from the children right here in Sheboygan Co. Gerber Leisure Products will be taking the time to go into our schools and talk to the children, to find out what it is they want to have in a playground.  They will design a playground based on the needs in our community and will create a unique, one of a kind playground for all of the children to be able to use. 

We hope you come to our Design Day Celebration and enjoy hearing about the playground and seeing it first hand. We will also be selling t-shirts and engraveable pickets for our fence that will encircle the playground. It will be a fun time for many and hope to have you part of the special event!

We regret to inform you that for several reasons we have decided to switch companies that will be designing the playground.  The company we were originally using is an excellent company, however, at this point in time we will be switching companies for various reasons and will be using Gerber Leisure Products.  They will be listening to what we are looking for in the playground and will also be going into the schools to talk to the kids to understand what the children want in a playground.  Based on the ideas from the children in our community and the input from our steering committee, Gerber Leisure Products, will be designing us a one of a kind playground that will allow any child’s imagination to run free.

The playground will be 100% accessible to all children of any ability. It is very important to our committee that we create a playground that allows any child the opportunity to manuver throughout the playground.  Personally for us as the general coordinators, this is a passion to us, to allow every child the opportunity to have the same rights as any other person, especially when it comes to play.

We look forward to working with Gerber Leisure Products and are confident that they will design a great playground that we can all be proud of. The playground will still be a community built playground and we hope this will provide a great opportunity to help bring Sheboygan together for a great cause!

More information about Gerber Leisure Products can be found at their website : http://www.gerberleisure.com

We are overjoyed to announce the GrandStay Hotel will be hosting the Designer from Leathers and Associates on Design Day!  

The hotel is absolutely beautiful! We are very grateful to the GrandStay for their generosity. I took a tour today and was very impressed with the property. It is a place we would highly recommend.

Design Day is slowly coming together.  In order to make design day happen we really need donations. Please remember all donations are tax deductible.  We will be announcing more details about Design Day in the very near future.  It will be a great day for our community!

We have been steadily working hard on this project. Here is what we have been working on:

- We met with the school board and presented our idea about the playground. We left it as a thought for them, something to think about. We are currently working on writing up a proposal about using the Field of Dreams to build on. They will review it and vote to make a decision.

-WHBL 1330 am aired info about the playground and we have had an article posted in the Sheboygan Press, it is on the news section of the site. We also will be doing an interview with WHBL 1330 am and 104.5 fm  in the near future.  We will post the date in the near future.

- We are working on getting shirts made up for the project.  We are currently in the process of finding the right company to work with that will give us a good deal.

- We will be selling pickets for the fence that will go around the playground. We are working on getting a demo fence picket, once we have it we will take a picture and post it on the site for everyone to see. In the meantime feel free to take a look at Possibility Playground. It is a playground very similiar to what our community will be building. They are building  Sept 17th - 21st in Port Washington. www.possibilityplayground.org  Proof that this can be done

- The donation account was set up under Ebenezer U.C.C Sheboygan Park Project. Allowing the donations to be tax deductable.

- We are working on planning our design day. The date will be finalized in the very near future. Once that is finalized we will have much more info.

- Speaking of design day, we are currently working to collect donations so we can send in our deposit for design day. We will also be looking for a few companies to sponsor design day. The sponsors will be able to display their logo by signs or banners at design day and will be listed in advertising. We are hoping to be sponsored for $3,000. The nice thing is that it will be tax deductible. We hope to start approaching companies for that this week.

- We are gaining people willing to volunteer time to help with events and people willing to steer a committee. We still need people for the steering committee and people to help on committees. This is going to be a great experience for everyone involved. We are not looking for people with experience but rather for people with the passion to see this project through and make it a reality for all of our children. If anyone is interested please fill out the volunteer form. Please know that I personally do a background check on everyone to be sure that all people involved are not a threat to any of our children.  Please do not take offense, we are just making sure no one signs up to volunteer who shouldn’t be around kids.  I think we can all appreciate keeping our children safe.

- The main committees we will be focusing on filling for the steering committe will be the Volunteer Committee, Fundraising Committee and Grant Writting Committee.  The other committees we will need to fill but the need is not as urgent at this time.

That is a brief summary on what we have been working on for the project. It is constantly on our minds. This is something that we feel we are meant to do.  We want to give back to our community after all the help and support we recieved for our sons.  We also feel very strongly about every child having the opportunity to experience the freedom and joy that can be found at a playground as they interact with other children.

We are overjoyed to announce that Ebenezer U.C.C. of Sheboygan has offered to be our fiscal sponsor! What does that exactly mean? It means that they will allow us to create and account for donations under their non profit umbrella. That will allow us to get the ball rolling with the project for several reasons, but the two main reasons are:

#1 ANY donation will be TAX DEDUCTIBLE

 #2 We can begin to move forward with the project as we do not need to wait to obtain a non profit status, that process is a long process that takes many months to obtain.

We are very grateful to Ebenezer U.C.C. It is an honor to have them as our fiscal sponsor.

Please know that if any of you send in any type of donation, we are extremely grateful. Even a donation as small as a penny can make a difference, it all adds up. We will try to send as many thank you cards as possible for the donations, however, please know that we do not get everyone’s contact info when they donate to the fund.

 Because of that we want to Thank all who donate ahead of time. The donation is sincerely appreciated.  You are helping us make a difference in childrens lives. The joy all children will be able to experience by being a child is priceless. Thank you.

For those interested in contributing 

We are very happy to share some very exciting news with everyone. Last week I had a meeting with  Dr. Sheehan and Mr. Ron Rindfleisch, the Sheboygan Superintendent and the President of the school board. Let me first  begin by saying that they are two very genuine individuals who sincerely care for the children in our community. I feel very fortunate to have been able to sit down and talk to them about our project. 

We discussed the playground and our future goals for what we would like to bring to Sheboygan Co. They were very supportive and would like to consider allowing us to build on The Field of Dreams.  It would be a great location to build the playground and would not be taking away from anything already there. We would be adding to the park and the playground would then be  given to the school district.  It would be great for all of our children!  In order for this to happen, we first need to meet with the school board and explain everything to them… hopefully they will approve the partnership. We will be meeting with them on August 26th. The meetings are aired on the local t.v channel if you are interested. We are not sure exactly when the meeting will be aired since they are not live but we will post the info as soon as we find out.

 We are very grateful to  Dr. Sheehan and Mr.Ron Rindfleisch for taking the time to hear everything I had to say…….and I had a lot to say.  It was a great meeting. We truly hope to make the playground a reality no later than next fall.   We look forward to presenting the idea to the school board on Aug 26th. We can’t wait for the day all of the children in our community have the opportunity to interact with others and be a child at a playground.

We thought it would be helpful to explain a little about the Steering committee we are forming. The steering committtee will be the key people to head up all of the separate committees.  People on the steering committee will be the ones to lead each individual team. The steering committee will meet on a regular basis to talk about the project and to keep all the leaders of the project up to date. The steering committee will then work with their team of volunteers working towards the goal of building the playground.

Below is information of each team we are forming and a very brief explanation of what each team will consist  of. A lot of the information below is information taken from a booklet provided by the company we will be working with ( Leathers Associates). So far they have been an excellent company and extremely helpful.  Remember we will need people to be the heads for each of the teams and people on the teams willing to help that team achieve their goals.

Please keep in mind you do not need past experience for this. You just need to have the will to want to help and be a key part of making a positive change.

1. General Coordinators….that would be us…Ryan and Angie Shaw. We were given two very precious miracles, Mateo and McHale. They we born conjoined. They were joined at their lower back and spine, because of that they also have spina bifida and hydrocephalus. They are our first children and have taught us many valuable lessons in life. They have been our inspiration for many things, one of which is this playground. They have taught us more than we ever imagined 2 little people could. One thing we have learned is how precious life is and that even though life isn’t exactly how we planned or dreamed of, it is a life we would not trade for anything.  They have made us better people, we want to be able to give back to the wonderful community we live in, building this playground is for people of all abilities to use.

2. Fundraising   Rochelle Manzano, Jaime Schlueter -

Still looking for another person to lead this team and many more people to on the team for brainstorming and putting together fundraisers. Looking for people to take charge of events, creativity and someone who likes to have fun!

 The obvious goal for this group is thinking of creative ideas to raise money to build the playground. They will be coordinating events and fundraising sales. We will need several people for the steering committee and many others to help on this team.

3. Public Relations-   Karen Eckhardt

 Need 1 or 2 more people to lead this committe  - would like to find them soon!         

 This group of people will be the key players to get the word out about the playground and about fundraisers. They will be creating posters, flyers, programs, getting the word out by radio, newspaper, etc. This team will need great follow through since their main goal is getting everyone and anyone to know about the playground.

4. Coordinators for volunteers - The lead people for this team will need to be very detail orientated in order to keep track of volunteers, contact info and to make sure we have enough volunteers at fundraising events. Several people leading this team would be ideal. The more volunteers we have the merrier!

5. Coordinators for Childcare 

 During the build week we will be providing childcare so parents can help with the construction of the playground and know their child is being well taken care of. This group will be planning fun activities and supervision to the children. 

6. Coordinators for Materials - Jack Methfessel

 These people do not need to know about construction tools. Their job will be to purchase the materials we will need for the project and also to get many materials donated.  Connections with hardware stores and lumbar yards are helpful.

7. Coordinators for design and special features  Laura Marie Wigg

No experience necessary, just a creative mind. The coordinators will work with a team of kids and adults. They will be responsible for getting local artists involved in the project so the playground can be colorful, fun and represent the talent in Sheboygan County.

8. Coordinators for Special Needs - These people will be the ones to find out what special needs we have in Sheboygan Co and make sure we are incorporating something for everyone. Our goal is to make the playground 100% accessible for all different abilities.

9 Coordinators for Tools -  Jack Methfessel

Consists of collecting, distributing and maintaining tools for the construction. Organization is necessary for this part of the team since many tools will be borrowed and will need to be returned to their rightful owners after the build.

10. Coordinators for food - Taking charge of organizing meals and acquiring food for construction. Well fed volunteers are happy volunteers!

11. Grant Writers - We will be applying for several grants to help fund the projects. Ideally we would like to have several people willing to dedicate time to write grants.

12. Treasurer    Jill Haag and Jason Krepline

 Looking for someone who is organized and detail oriented. Responsible for keeping track of what funds are used for fundraising and  managing the financials of the account.

Currently those are all the teams….more may be added as the project moves forward. We do have some people on some of the committees and we do have a few people on the steering committee but are still looking for many more people to help.  We will also be holding information sessions in the upcoming weeks that will allow us to give everyone more information, allow people to ask questions and also to recruit people for the teams. Once we have those planned we will post it on the site and in the paper.  Hopefully that helps explain a little more about each team, if you are interested please send us an e-mail.

The main people I am focused on finding as soon as possible are energetic individuals to head up fundraising and volunteers. Those are the 2 main groups that we will need help with asap. Of course we will still be looking for others to head up the othe teams.  If you are interested or have questions please contact us.

We continue to make progress with our playground. We have been searching out land and are specifically looking at 3 separate areas, mainly focusing on 2. We have found our ideal location, it is land across from the field of dreams. Currently, there is an open area where no one has a garden. However, the land may already be taken or it may be too costly to obtain…..we will have to see what all transpires with it, however, we are working on it. If it doesn’t pan out then we have other land that we will look into.  We also may have a fiscal sponsor…we don’t want to say too much until it is official….however, we are so incredibly grateful for their kind generosity. We still need people for the teams we are putting together,  in the near future we will post what teams we are putting together and what duties each team will have. Once we have a large team in place things will really begin to take off!  We have worked on a few other things to get everything in order to make this happen.

 Our goal for a build is next spring…. the absolute very latest next fall. Imagine a place in our community where ALL children can laugh and play together. A place where children of ALL abilities can interact, learn about eachother and become friends.  A place where our schools can have a picnic and no children are left out. How wonderful that will be! 

On June 11th I met with our Mayor  and some other key community members for this project. I explained what we were looking to accomplish and after hearing everything I had to say he told me he fully supported the idea and the project. That was such great news to hear and a HUGE relief to have that type of support. I am proud to live in a community where family is so important. Our project is going to be a community based and built project. It will help instill a sense of pride and ownership with the playground. One we can all be proud of and able to use.

Our next step is to do 1 of 2 things. 1. We can apply to become a non-profit organization, that way all donations are tax deductible. The draw back with that is we would want to find an attorney who could help us with the paperwork and do it for pro bono and it also takes several, several months to be approved, which would delay collecting donations. Option # 2 is to secure a fiscal sponsor. That would be an already existing non-profit group who would be willing to open and manage a checking account for the project.  My only hesitation with that is I would only be asking for them to be a fiscal sponsor. I would not want them to take over the project. I would still want to head up this project because it is something I started and want to see it through to the end. I figure if we are going to do this then I want to be sure it is done the right way the first time.

Our other huge accomplishment was getting this website started. I want to say THANK YOU to Annie for being so wonderful and creating this site. It will truly help everyone stay connected and involved with the project.

We are in the process of putting together our “core” team of people ( our steering comittee) who will run different aspects of the project and will each have their own team of people helping them. We have about 11 different teams we are putting together and will need 2 people to run each team. These teams will need to consist of people who are dedicated to seeing this project through and are willing to put in a good amount of time to get it done. If anyone is interested in helping with this please send us an e-mail and let us know what you are good at helping with. If you don’t have a ton of time to devote to this but still want to help, feel free to also e-mail us, we can always use volunteers and people helping to spread the word. Our e-mail is ryanandangieshaw@yahoo.com  Please mention the playground in the subject line, this way we know it is not spam and accidently delete it.   We need people with all sorts of backrounds involved in this. We truly want this playground to be inspired by our community and fully accessible to everyone.  Our goal is to have this built next spring….at the very latest next fall, no later and no exception to why it won’t be built by then.

We will keep you all updated on the progress we make, one step at a time. Please stop by and sign our guestbook, we would love to hear from you!