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September 21, 2026
FOND DU LAC – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fond du Lac County (BBBS FDL) recently cut the ribbon on a cutting-edge inclusive playscape designed and installed by local playground equipment manufacturer BCI Burke.
Several years ago, prior to COVID-19, President/CEO of Bristol Morgan Bank and BBBS FDL Board Member Ryan Kamphuis said the nonprofit launched a capital campaign to help fund the acquisition of a new facility.
“Our bank has been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters [Fond du Lac County], where we would take part in some of their fundraisers and things like that…, but I was asked to join [the board of directors] a couple of years ago,” he said. “Our old location was very aged…, so before I even joined, the board had identified a need for a better facility.”
Following a brief delay in the strategic planning process due to the pandemic, Kamphuis said the campaign was successfully completed, and BBBS FDL moved into its current office around the end of 2024.
“When I joined the board we weren’t in a great location – there was no place for kids to play outside at our old location at all,” he said. “When we were looking for a new building, one of the things we [wanted] was a place for activities, both inside and outside. So, when we identified our current location at 987 S. Main St., one of the things we [liked was] the ability to have real outside activities, and we are very fortunate.”
With more outdoor space, on a property that’s essentially two lots – “one that fronts on Mihill [Ave.], and then one that fronts on Main Street” – Kamphuis said BBBS FDL reached out to BCI Burke.
Similarly to Bristol Morgan Bank’s relationship with BBBS FDL, Director of Engineering and Product Development Scott Liebelt said Burke likewise had established connections with the nonprofit.
“Actually, I think two [of our] people are on the board of directors at Big Brothers Big Sisters [Fond du Lac County],” he said.
Describing the project “as a win-win” for BBBS FDL and Burke, Liebelt said it also helps him fulfill one of his responsibilities: ensuring the company has places to install and photograph equipment for marketing purposes.
“We put out a new catalog for our distribution network annually in January, and we have a lot of new products that we launch,” he said. “[I make] sure we have some equipment set up for taking photos… that we can use for marketing material and product launch, and we often try to do projects within the Fond du Lac/North Fond du Lac area so it can be a win-win for the community and for us.”
With a pre-established relationship, a new facility and more room for activities, Liebelt said it became obvious for Burke to come in and install a new playground for BBBS FDL.
“We had a connection there already, and they had a facility and wanted to put in a playground,” he said. “It worked out to marry those two things together.”
Compact, inclusive, challenging
Roughly a “six-month process from beginning to end,” Kamphuis said the installation of BBBS FDL’s new Burke playground was funded using a mix of in-kind donations – from Burke and other local businesses – as well as financial contributions.
“We had to do everything from excavating [the site to having] a concrete slab poured; there’s a little bit of landscaping, the rubber mat that goes over the concrete and then you have the actual installation of the unit,” he said. “So, we were very fortunate we were able to work using in-kind support, as well as some of the monetary support we had, to be able to finish the project.”
In selecting which equipment to install, Liebelt said the Burke team considered variety and inclusion at every turn.
“Knowing that they have a large [age] range of kids [and] didn’t have a lot of space, we wanted to [install] a product that would pack a lot of play value in a very small space,” he said. “The product [we chose] is a new product we launched in January of this year. It’s called Nucleus® Strive™.”
Liebelt said the Nucleus Strive is designed to be compact, inclusive and provide a range of play options for kids across all ages and abilities.
“It’s designed to bring movement, challenge and connection, really, to any outdoor play space,” he said.
The Nucleus Strive, Liebelt said, is a triangle-shaped playground with climbers all around the outside that provide kids a range of options to “go from a low platform up to a high platform.”
“Every kid, when they’re climbing, wants to get to the highest point – that’s [typically] the goal,” he said. “So, we have multiple ways to get up to that highest point: an eight-foot-high platform. Then, we’ve also filled in the center with a climber that connects all of the [other] climbers around the outside. So, you can connect, go crisscross and choose many different paths to get up to the top.”
This very specific and intentional layout, Liebelt said, allows kids of any ability to find their individual level of challenge.
“That is a passion of ours – to design and provide play opportunities for kids with varying levels of ability – and this Nucleus Strive is designed with maximum inclusion [in mind],” he said.
As previously featured in The Business News’ March 10, 2025 issue, Liebelt said the Nucleus Strive features a “patented design” of Burke’s called the 360 Loop®.
“That has our innovative reverse transfer ergonomics,” he said. “If there’s a child who is in a mobility device, their position of strength is their arms…, [so] we have ramped-type climbers with a rubber surface, so you don’t slide on it [and] it provides some traction as they’re reverse transferring off the structure. And, it’s ergonomically right where their hands need to be – where they’re strongest.”
With these features included in the design of the Nucleus Strive, Liebelt said children of all abilities can adventure “all the way from the lowest platform up to the highest platform” by themselves.
“There’s a slide [with] a loop climber that goes right back up to the top, so they can play independently without having any caregiver take them back to the spot where they can transfer on and go up,” he said. “It’s a really cool inclusive play environment that allows them all to play together and allows those kids with [different abilities] to play independently and get from top to bottom.”
For children who may be more reserved, Kamphuis said their preferred pace of play was not an afterthought.
“On our playground, we have a lot of newer items that Burke was nice enough to provide,” he said. “[There are] a lot of the sensory pieces, as well as areas a kid could get away from all the noise, be alone in a supervised environment and have things to do.”
A ‘vital’ mission
Though he was recruited to join the board a couple years ago, Kamphuis said over time, he’s seen firsthand how important mentorship is for the youth population of any community.
“My wife is an elementary teacher here in Fond du Lac, and I have come to truly understand and appreciate the importance of youth mentoring,” he said. “In my time supporting my wife and the things she does in education, I think it’s a very overlooked aspect of the public in general.”
Similarly, Liebelt said a “passion” of his is encouraging and supporting childhood development through play.
“There’s a lot of childhood development that happens in play,” he said. “Kids learn how to assess risk, take on challenges, make decisions – and those kinds of skills can be used for the rest of their lives.”
That’s why Liebelt said the Nucleus Strive was the perfect playground for BBBS FDL’s mentees.
“[It] really provides those types of opportunities for that development, because it has multiple paths and [kids] can decide what challenge they want to take and whether they want to take that risk or not,” he said. “Those transitions, challenges and connections really kind of foster and encourage that development.”
Even further, Kamphuis said the addition of an outdoor, BBBS FDL-provided playground helps mentors more easily engage with their mentees.
“One of the things Big Brothers Big Sisters [of Fond du Lac County] does with the mentoring is we offer on-site activities,” he said. “The entire lower level of our new building is exclusively for [our] youth [mentees] and [their] matches to use. Then, we have a walkout basement [where] you go up a couple stairs and there’s the playground area. So, everything’s right outside of that entrance and exit for Littles to come and go.”
Providing on-site activities for matches to spend time with each other, Kamphuis said, is “incredibly helpful” – particularly with the youngest children – and lowers the logistical and financial barrier of finding activities.
“Our mentors donate their time,” he said. “We have a lot of great supporters in the community and in the state, and there are activities you can go to, but it shouldn’t cost $10 every time you want to go do something.”
Regardless, without the support of local businesses, Kamphuis said none of this would be possible.
“Without our local business support, there isn’t a nonprofit,” he said. “In Fond du Lac, we have an absolutely wonderful business community, and… we have some incredible stewards – whether it’s the largest contributors down to some of the smaller ones. It is a testament to how much our community believes in our [mission].”
Though financial support is needed and greatly appreciated, Kamphuis said he thinks the “biggest impact” one can make on their community’s youth is becoming a mentor.
“Obviously, all nonprofits need funding, but I think the big thing is the impact somebody can have on the life of a young person by becoming a Big,” he said. “Learning about becoming a Big and becoming a Big are really great things, and the greatest need I feel we have is the need for Bigs and people who want to get involved and support the kids in our areas.”
With numerous BBBS affiliates operating throughout the Northeast region, Kamphuis said he would encourage anyone to explore the possibility of becoming a youth mentor.
“As these kids get older…, [the Bigs] retain that relationship with their Little and they’re invited to weddings and baby showers, and they meet [kids who aren’t] their grandkid but are kind of their grandkid,” he laughed. “The impact it has on the Big is huge. It really is – but it doesn’t touch the impact the Big has on the Little, and that is vital.”
For more on BBBS FDL or BCI Burke, visit their respective websites – bbbsfdl.org and bciburke.com.
