Toward the end of the school year, when classrooms empty out into Roosevelt Park near her house, Angie Shaw has observed something that perhaps only the parent of a special-needs child could see.
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Mother Of Conjoined Twins Spearheads Sheboygan Playground Project
From WISN.com - Milwaukee
POSTED: 8:17 pm CST November 9, 2008
UPDATED: 10:21 pm CST November 9, 2008
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- The mother of Sheboygan’s
formerly conjoined twins is spearheading a project that will not only
enrich her sons’ lives, but he lives of many others.
Plans were unveiled last week for a playground in Sheboygan where all children, including those with disabilities, can play.
12 News last visited Mateo and McHale Shaw just as they turned two-years-old. The twins were born conjoined in May of 2006 and were separated four months later.
As they entered the so called “terrible 2s” they were becoming more and more active. Despite both having spina bifida and other limitations, it was around this time that Angie and Ryan Shaw recognized something was missing from their boys’ lives.
"It was the first time we took them to the playground and realized there wasn't much for them to do unless we did it with them,” Shaw said.
A typical playground is suited for children who can walk.
"I would see children that were sitting in wheel chairs or in walkers that couldn't run around with the other children they were sitting on the said and seemed distant, and I thought, well that's not fair and I believe every child deserves that opportunity,” Shaw said.
Angie Shaw began researching, making phone calls, networking and connecting with other parents who have special needs children.
“God didn't give us these children to watch and sit and do nothing and want to play and want to be a child. They've defied so many odds, to see them sad just breaks my heart,” Shaw said.
That broken heart began to heal as Angie Shaw looked at a community, not that far away, building a place where all children can play -- the Possibilities Playground in Port Washington.
The same designers who worked on that playground are now designing one for the Sheboygan community. The land is already secured however the funds to build it are not. The Shaw's are looking to raise $500,000.
“The boys taught us a lot they also opened up our eyes to a lot of different situations and made us better people and made us realize what our mission in life is,” Shaw said.
You can find more information on this project at the Web site KidsComingTogether.com.
Playground dream begins taking shape
PHOTOS
By Doug Carroll • Sheboygan Press staff • November 8, 2008
The idea of a "gumball hot tub" might not fly.
Same with the "rope attached to Army tank hideout," or the name "Titanic Park."
But if it's the thought that counts, then Sheboygan schoolchildren seem fully invested in the accessible playground envisioned for Deland Park. Their imaginative drawings papered an entire wall of a Blue Harbor conference room Thursday evening for a community meeting about plans for the playground.
"This project is phenomenal," Ald. Vicky Meyer said in brief remarks to a crowd of about 50 that had come to find out about the design process and offer suggestions.
"It will enhance the quality of life for many generations to come. In Port Washington, the whole community came together, and I can't wait to see that in Sheboygan."
According to plans presented at the meeting by Minnesota-based Landscape Structures and its Green Bay representative, Gerber Leisure Products, the playground would be about 7,500 square feet and have features to suit both disabled and non-disabled children.
A similar playground opened recently in Port Washington, and a week next September is targeted for the local project's construction. Between 100 and 200 volunteers a day would be needed, according to Gerber owner Bob Szalkowski.
Ryan and Angie Shaw of Sheboygan, the parents of formerly conjoined twin boys who have spina bifida, are spearheading the campaign and trying to raise $500,000 from private sources.
"We want to make this a destination for families," Angie said.
Brett Sanders, 18, of Sheboygan Falls, said such a playground would have been a highlight of his childhood. Sanders has spina bifida and been through more than 100 surgeries.
"When I was younger, I was stuck on the sidelines," he said. "A playground like this would have given me the ability to play with my friends and my family.
"I think this playground will mean so many things to so many kids."
Gerber solicited ideas from schoolchildren last week, and Bryan Sykora of Landscape Structures said it will work to customize the playground. The company has incorporated a host of different themes into its designs, including rockets, mines, forts, trains, farms, sports and castles.
Mandi Wilke of Gerber said aspects such as double-wide ramps, multiple entrances, a shaded area, a misting system and a toddlers-only play area already are under consideration.
The Sheboygan Common Council cleared the way for the Deland site on Monday. The playground would be maintained by the city from an endowment to be created for that purpose.
Mayor Juan Perez said he was won over by the Shaws' determination.
"It inspired me when Angie came into my office and talked about building this," he said. "I could actually see it. I'm helping in this effort as much as I can. I believe in it. It's going to happen."
More information on the project is available at www.kidscomingtogether.com.
Reach Doug Carroll at acarroll@sheboyganpress.com and at 453-5169.
Planned playground will welcome all
By Doug Carroll • Sheboygan Press staff • November 5, 2008
Deland Park on Sheboygan's lakefront will be the location of an accessible playground that would be built next fall for children throughout the county.
The playground is the vision of Ryan and Angie Shaw, of Sheboygan, parents of twin boys who were born conjoined in May 2006 and were surgically separated four months later. The Shaws will host a "design day" Thursday at Blue Harbor Conference Center for those interested in sharing ideas or donating resources for the project.
"If people want to have input into the playground, this is the time to come," Angie said.
The Sheboygan Common Council, by a unanimous vote Monday night, cleared the way to provide space at Deland Park, near the community center, for the playground.
"I really think it's another thing that puts Sheboygan on the map, it was clearly the right thing to do, and I was absolutely thrilled that the council voted 16-0 to pass it," said Ald. Mark Hanna, who along with Mayor Juan Perez have been strong supporters of the project.
"Angie and Ryan Shaw are the driving force behind this; just a great couple," Hanna said. "We're just so fortunate to have them as part of our community."
The playground remains on track despite a couple of significant changes in plans recently.
Initially the Shaw's had hoped to have it designed by Leathers and Associates, a company in Ithaca, N.Y., that specializes in accessible playgrounds and was involved in the creation of one for Port Washington's Upper Lake Park.
But Leathers' design fee of more than $50,000 was seen as too steep, and now Gerber Leisure Products, a Minnesota-based company with an office in Green Bay, has taken on the project. Gerber was in three Sheboygan elementary schools last week — Madison, Sheridan and Grant — to solicit ideas from children and will present blueprints on Thursday.
The other new development is the approval of the Deland Park site. The Field of Dreams property, at Saemann Avenue and North Taylor Drive, originally was envisioned as the playground's location. That land is owned by the Sheboygan Area School District, which apparently has had reservations about moving forward, Angie Shaw said.
Perez is expected to attend Thursday's meeting, which is open to parents and children.
The playground is "not just for special-needs children," Angie said. "Special-needs and regular kids will be able to play side by side."
Ryan Shaw said Gerber — which already equips the city's playgrounds and is not related to the baby-food company — is up to the task. Four representatives of the company are expected to attend the meeting.
"Our goal is to push this company to their limits," Ryan said. "Our expectations are high. They say they welcome that. They like challenges."
The Shaw's say they need to raise $500,000 in private funding to install the playground, which would be built by a team of volunteers in mid-September on land between the tennis courts and the community center at Deland. The playground then would be turned over to the city, with maintenance to be funded from an endowment.
Reach Doug Carroll at acarroll@sheboyganpress.com and at 453-5169.
Mom seeks accessible playground
"There were kids sitting along the side who couldn't play," she said. "My heart sank for them."
Shaw knew that someday the spectators would include her twin sons, Mateo and McHale, who were born conjoined on May 10, 2006, and were surgically separated two years ago today. And so she has launched an effort to raise funds for an accessible playground that would serve special-needs children throughout Sheboygan County.
The northwestern corner of the Field of Dreams property, at Saemann Avenue and North Taylor Drive in Sheboygan, already is envisioned as the playground's location. The land is owned by the Sheboygan Area School District, which would allow the playground to be built from private funds and then maintain it from ongoing donations.
The most immediate need, Shaw said, is $3,000 plus accommodations for a visit this fall by designers from Leathers and Associates, a company in Ithaca, N.Y., that specializes in accessible playgrounds and has created one in Port Washington scheduled to open later this month.
The designers would cull ideas from special-needs children and their parents and incorporate them into plans for the playground, which will require a rubberized surface and other safety-enhancing features.
Shaw estimated the cost of the playground at $500,000, which would include fully accessible bathrooms on the property. It would be constructed by volunteers within a week's time, possibly at about this time next year. She has begun seeking corporate sponsorships.
The county's disabled population of 15,000 doesn't even include children age 5 and younger, according to Shaw, who has a Web site (www.kidscomingtogether.com) devoted to the playground project and addressed the Sheboygan Area School District Board on Aug. 26.
"I didn't make friends sitting in class," Shaw told the board. "I made them on the playground."
Shaw's vision for the playground includes metal slides (plastic ones can short-circuit cochlear implants among the hearing impaired); custom swings for children lacking in upper-body control; and a separate area for toddlers.
"It's not that we expect the world to adapt to these children," she said. "It's creating a place where they can go. We want it to be a place where they can just be a child and play and be silly and make friends."
For more information, e-mail Shaw at ryanandangieshaw@yahoo.com or call Ebenezer United Church of Christ at 452-9766. The church is coordinating donations, which are tax-deductible.