Swings added in Menomonie for people with disabilities

Aug. 19--MENOMONIE -- Sixteen-year-old Kayden Ebensperger loves the new adaptive swings placed at seven Menomonie parks, his mother Teana Ebensperger said.

Kayden has Chromosome 15q Duplication Syndrome (Dup15q), a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the partial duplication of Chromosome 15, according to Wikipedia.

In Kayden's case it caused severe autism and epileptic seizures, Teana Ebensperger said, noting her son is nonverbal.

"He did love it," Teana Ebensperger said of the new adaptive swings for those with physical or cognitive limitations. "It is a safer, more secure swing."

The swing has a five-point safety harness and back support so those using it are safe. In Kayden's case, the back support protects him if he has a seizure, Teana Ebensperger said.

The seven swings were made possible after Menomonie Lions Club President Collin Thatcher was awarded $5,000 from Andersen Corp., his former employer, as part of the Don Garofalo Volunteer of the Year Award. (Garofalo was a former CEO and president of the window company.)

Thatcher, who works at ConAgra Foods as a safety specialist, received the award for spearheading efforts to put in about 500 feet of wooden board in the Wakanda Park Nature Trail by the Lions Game Park to make it more accessible.

The $5,000 was awarded to the nonprofit of Thatcher's choice.

The swings are industrial strength and should last for some time, Thatcher said.

"When I got to see Kayden in the swing for the first time, it was definitely emotional," Thatcher said, noting the Lions Club tries to make the community a better place. A ribbon-cutting this week by the Greater Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce dedicated the swings.

The seven swings are in Wakanda, Phelan, Lakeside, Point Comfort, Elmwood, Fowler's Court and Riverside parks, according to Menomonie parks and recreation director Gary Barnett.

"We're thankful the Lions Club was willing to work with us," Barnett said. "It's being able to offer one more amenity or piece of equipment to serve all segments of the population."

Teana Ebensperger said Kayden, who is an eighth-grader at Boyceville Middle School, is one of about 1,000 children with Dup15q in the world.

Having the adaptive swings in parks allows Kayden and others with physical or cognitive limitations to enjoy the city parks.

"I feel it is so important so these individuals can feel a part of the community," she said. "It is so they can enjoy an activity many of us take for granted and to be out in the park and have fun."

Contact: 715-556-9018, pamela.powers@ecpc.com, @MenomonieBureau on Twitter

___

(c)2017 the Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire, Wis.)

Visit the Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire, Wis.) at www.leadertelegram.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.