SHEBOYGAN – Friends of the Shaw Family Playground have formed new nonprofit designed to ensure the all-inclusive playground remains viable in the years ahead.

The playground, first operated under the Friends of the Sheboygan Jaycees’ nonprofit status, will operate under the new nonprofit the Friends of the Shaw Family Playground.

Officers of the nonprofit gathered at the playground the last week of June to announce the new 501(c) nonprofit.

Shaw Family Playground’s story begins with birth of conjoined twins

Early in 2006, Ryan and Angie Shaw learned Angie was pregnant with conjoined twins. The boys, Mateo and McHale Shaw, were born May 10, 2006.

After consulting with several medical experts, they traveled to Washington, D.C., to have surgery at the Children’s National Medical Center. Mateo and McHale Shaw were successfully separated after a 19-hour surgical procedure, but it left them with lifetime disabilities.

The Sheboygan Press front-page headline said “Twins Separated” following the surgery. The boy’s surgeon, Robert Keating, said the boys were doing well following the surgery, but also said the boys would be faced with several defects.

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Idea for playground came after Ryan and Angie Shaw saw kids missing out on fun at local playgrounds

The idea for the playground germinated in 2008 when Mateo and McHale Shaw were toddlers.

The Shaws drove past a local playground and noticed children with mobility issues were on the sidelines and not getting in the fun with their friends, who were climbing a jungle gym, running over the playground and getting the thrill of a trip down the slide.

Ryan and Angie Shaw realized their children faced the very same situation.

Angie took action, and started asking city officials if an all-inclusive playground could be considered. The Shaws found sympathetic ears to the project at City Hall.

Project gains financial life after connecting with Sheboygan Jaycees

Originally considered to be at Deland Park, a plot of land near Evergreen Park became the playground’s home.

The project at first was named the Sheboygan Park Project, which was later renamed Shaw Family Playground.

City officials in 2015, along with then-Mayor Michael Vandersteen, suggested the couple connect with the Sheboygan Jaycees, who might be able to help with the project funding.

The dormant project was revitalized with a presentation to the city’s Board of Marina, Parks and Forestry Commission. Parks commission member Sarah Schwefel, who was at the time president of the Friends of the Sheboygan Jaycees, was part of the discussion that brought the project to life.

“Our relationship with the Jaycees started when the city directed us towards them,” Angie Shaw said. “We operated under their nonprofit status, Friends of the Sheboygan Jaycees.”

Being able to operate under the Jaycees’ 501(c) status helped get the playground project going, and the family appreciates the help they received from the partnership, Angie Shaw said.

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Endowment fund will help maintain the playground into the future

An endowment fund was eventually created to help maintain the playground going forward, Angie Shaw said.

The Friends of the Shaw Family Playground is the name of the 501(c) that will use the tax-deductible donations to help maintain and improve the facility.

Here’s how to give to the endowment fund

The Friends of the Sheboygan Jaycees will be managing the long-term endowment fund the city can access to ensure the playground remains accessible and properly maintained. People can give to the fund by:

Gary C. Klein can be reached at 920-453-5149 or gklein@gannett.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @leicaman99.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: New nonprofit to ensure Shaw Family Playground’s future in Sheboygan