In the end, this playground is not only for Will but for “families with and without disabilities,” to share in an atmosphere of fun learning “lessons in diversity, acceptance, courage and resilience.” 

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In the end, this playground is not only for Will but for “families with and without disabilities,” to share in an atmosphere of fun learning “lessons in diversity, acceptance, courage and resilience.” 

Will was 6 years old when his mom began her quest to build a playground her son could enjoy as much as able bodied kids. 

It was 2018, and Teresa De Young had just graduated from the Leadership Training Initiative, a program created by the New Richmond Area Community Foundation as a long-term investment in the community devoted to enabling ordinary residents to identify, fulfill and sustain their capacity as leaders. 

Graduates of the nine-month program were required to employ their newly cultivated leadership skills in a collaborative capstone project incorporating real-life ideas that would make a difference in their community.

Will’s Playground is an effort to purchase and install “universal” playground equipment at Mary Park. 

A universal playground is accessible to all including any person that happens to be in a wheelchair or anybody who has mobility issues as far as getting around the park. Universal equipment is differentiated from typical slides and swings by design. It is adaptive supporting many styles of play by providing lower heights, handrails and a dedicated area for sensory play with a rubber flooring surface that is more forgiving while providing a smooth surface for wheelchair users and accessible restrooms.

This kind of equipment is not inexpensive. The initial budget for Will’s Playground was $400,000.

De Young’s team started with 11 members, but the early going was more challenging than anyone could have anticipated. The search just to find a suitable location took longer than anticipated and ate up whatever meager resources the group had been able to attract. 

De Young and her teammates had little fundraising experience particularly for a project of this scale and were learning from ground zero.

Just before the pandemic, Will’s Playground had an opportunity to raise $75,000 from Royal Credit Union if they could raise $150,000 by the end of 2020. 

Then COVID struck. It dismantled De Young’s team and decimated fundraising opportunities. Doors closed and donations ground to a halt as funders faced an uncertain future.   

De Young found herself alone and overwhelmed by the seemingly unattainable goal. 

“I was reaching out to people and getting no responses back. I just had surgery and was recovering, just getting myself back to work. And the dollar amount in the bank was not very impressive. I was thinking, ‘$400,000, how in the world am I going to do this by myself.’ I couldn’t get anyone to help me at this point. There were a few months where I did nothing,” De Young recalled.

In that moment, in the face of defeat, De Young turned to Will. What she saw in him, what she felt in her heart for his future, would not let her quit. 

“It was Will. Being at the playground with him, and watching him on the equipment, he’s always four to five steps behind everyone. Just realizing that, even if he’s 12 years old when this playground gets built, or 13, he’ll still enjoy it and watching him be in-step with everyone will make it worth it,” De Young said.

A lot of folks in the same position could not have done what she did next, might not have been as brave, as vulnerable, and it changed everything.

On Feb. 11, DeYoung laid her heart on the line. In a disarmingly personal letter, she told Will’s story from his early arrival, his difficulty breathing and maintaining body temperature, his Down syndrome diagnosis and subsequent stay in the NICU for five weeks. 

She described how loved and vital a member of their family Will has become. The joy she experiences seeing Will play with his siblings and friends and the pride she feels when he accomplishes even the simplest of activities like putting on his shoes, zipping up his coat or just running outside. 

She explains, in the end, this playground is not only for Will but for “families with and without disabilities,” to share in an atmosphere of fun learning “lessons in diversity, acceptance, courage and resilience.”

She mailed the letter to nearly every member of the New Richmond Chamber of Commerce and it worked. 

Donations began to roll in, $50 here, $100 there, $500. Then Marie Gremore and WestConsin Credit Union made a bigger dent, $25,000. 

“It came from my letter, $25,000. I got a phone call from Marie and she said, ’I got your letter. We talked about it with corporate and we want to support you and this is what we want to do.’ That’s the first time it felt like this was attainable … that’s when the momentum really changed,” De Young said.

De Young’s journey has been filled with monumental ups and downs, a global pandemic, brain surgery, but through it all she has persevered.

De Young’s corner is small but their support and advice have proven invaluable. Margaret Swanson, Executive Director at the NRACF has helped research appropriate grants and make introductions. New Richmond City Administrator Noah Wiedenfeld has shared from his grant writing expertise. NRACF Chairman Tyson Lybeck and his wife Jen have both been essential since the campaign got back on its feet.

On June 2, De Young got the call.

It was Margret Swanson, and the first thing she asked De Young was, “Are you sitting down? I have some good news for you”

Seconds later De Young learned Will’s Playground was $100,000 closer to the finish line.

A month earlier, Jen Lyback had come across the Kubota Hometown Proud Program.

Together with De Young, Lybeck tweaked the information from the RCU grant application to fit Kubota’s requirements and submitted it. Shortly they learned they were competing against 172  applications in the Midwest region and that 800 applications had been submitted nationwide. 

They had beaten the odds. 

What is more, they have a second chance to do it again.

One of the five regional winners selected in the Hometown Proud Grant Program has a chance to win a bonus of an additional $100,000. That second $100,000 would be enough to make Will’s Playground a reality.   

Your votes could help Will’s Playground become a reality.

The winner will be determined by votes cast on the internet. You can find Will’s Playground video and all the contest rules at:

Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, July 25.

At last check, Will’s Playground was 500 votes out of first place.

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