Filling the GAP
By Doni Dondero Internships can be hard to come by for adults these days, but the newly opened GAP store in Annapolis has generously opened its doors to GiGi’s participants. The introduction to retail started when the GAP’s corporate office in New York contacted the Playhouse about hosting a social which would serve as a…
Read MoreFound–Inclusive Catholic Education & Great Friends at GiGi’s Playhouse
By Doni Dondero Raymond Tetschner had always been fully included in public school in Arizona, so when the family started looking at middle school, full inclusion was their goal. But this time, there was an additional challenge–they wanted that education in a Catholic school. As the family approached Raymond’s 6th grade year, they talked with…
Read MoreHollywood Comes to Annapolis
By: Ginger Houston-Ludlam The stars in Annapolis have never shined so brightly as they did on January 4th when GiGi’s Playhouse Annapolis hosted their “Welcome to Hollywood” dance. Over 25 participants and 24 volunteers danced and toasted the night away. Everybody put on their best fancy clothes, including faux furs, sparkling jewelry and tiaras on…
Read MoreCaring Canines-Literacy Companions Lend a Helping Paw!
To celebrate the conclusion of our first Literacy Tutoring Session, we invited Caring Canine Pet Therapy Dogs to GiGi’s Playhouse. Caring Canines is a pet therapy program created by Dogwood Acres Pet Retreat to provide certified pet therapy teams who offer unconditional love and a peaceful presence to those in need in the community. Caring…
Read MoreGiGi’s Playhouse Youth Board-Successful Dance Marathon 2018!
By Melissa Wong I serve on the GiGi’s Playhouse Annapolis Youth Board. The Youth Board hosted the first ever Dance Dance Marathon for the Annapolis location on November 17th. All high-school students from the Anne Arundel County area were invited to participate. We danced and engaged in a variety…
Read MoreGiving Tuesday: A Time to Share Generously
By: Julia Persinger “Get creative and think of all of the ways that you too can help in a very small or very large way. It will come back to you a hundredfold.” After a considerable period of procrastination, I penned this on an eight-day silent Catholic Retreat at the Jesuit Center for Spiritual Growth…
Read MoreCalling Eastern Shore Families: GiGi’s Playhouse, Exactly What We Hoped For!
This is a shout out to all families, especially those on the Eastern Shore, who have loved ones of any age with Down syndrome and can benefit from the wonderful social and academic opportunities at GiGi’s Playhouse in Annapolis. My name is Karen and I am the blessed grandmother of Jeremiah, a fabulous young man…
Read MoreGeneration G: A Very Young 86-Year-Old Builds GiGi’s Little Library
We have a very special volunteer in Richard Reichert! He is a talented 86-year-young retired Industrial Arts teacher. Richard accepted the challenge after talking to Site Coordinator Judy Co about a Playhouse dream of having a “GiGi’s Playhouse Little Library.” Never mind that it was only Richard’s second time to the Playhouse, that he didn’t…
Read MoreLiving Generation G! Meet Thomas
Meet Thomas P., age 8 years old, GiGi’s Playhouse Annapolis’ youngest donor, and one who is living out loud, Generation G! His Mom shared that early this summer, Thomas received a new piggy bank that included sections to put money in to “spend,” “save” and “share.” Over the summer, Thomas helped doing small jobs around…
Read MoreSharon’s Determination Inspires Others
Sharon is one of our amazing adult participants. She is 38 years old and regularly attends the Fantastic Friends program and was a volunteer for our LMNOP Tuesday morning group. Sharon also was a self-advocate speaker at our inaugural Brew HAHA event. We are so excited for her, after volunteering in the school system as…
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