Port Washington State Bank in Wisconsin donated $35,000 to install new playground equipment in Schowalter Park.
The donation was one of five to local county parks to mark the 125th anniversary of the bank. The land on which the park is was the childhood home of Ron Schowalter, the third-generation owner of the bank.
The updated playground includes a double-slide structure with a climbing wall, children- and toddler-sized swings, two sand diggers and a log roller.
Ron Schowalter’s grandparents, Jacob and Barbara Schowalter, acquired the 50-acre farm where the park is in 1899. One of their seven children, James, was born on the land the following year. James and his wife Ludmilla bought the farm, and lived there with their children Ruth, Ronald and Robert. In 1985, Ron and his father donated the park as a memorial to the Schowalter family.
“This personal connection makes the donation even more meaningful, serving as a tribute to the family’s longstanding ties to the area and their dedication to fostering community well-being,” according to the bank.