Giving 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…

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Generation 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…

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Sharon’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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The Power of High Expectations: Literacy One-on-One Tutoring

I had the opportunity to volunteer at GiGi’s Playhouse in Annapolis as a literacy tutor this summer and it was a remarkable experience. I had previously volunteered for GiGi’s Playhouse in Utah, and have such fond memories of watching the children relish their successes. So, after moving to Maryland for school, I gravitated towards the…

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Healing by Sharing the Love

June 28th was a memorable day in Annapolis. Little did we know what was happening less than a mile away when the following note was written by one of our GiGi’s Playhouse volunteers.  In retrospect, the situations couldn’t be more opposite. To lose the lives of the five employees of the Capital Gazette was a…

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GiGi’s Playhouse Annapolis-“The Resource We Needed!”

A Parent’s Perspective: By Amanda Stowell     GiGi’s Playhouse has been one of the best resources for my family. My son Joshua who is 8 years old, and doesn’t have Down Syndrome, is always asking to go there because he makes friends every time we attend a program. Even just the mention of GiGi’s…

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Un Poema de la Madre (A Mother’s Poem) By: Griss

Tener un hijo especial es una constante lucha de nervios y de corre y corre de entrar y salir del hospital Es amar sin condiciones Es luchar siempre por sus derechos Es buscar información Es reír llorando Es pelear duramente por ellos Es conocer personas maravillosas como tú Gracias Dios por verme elegido ser madre…

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Volunteer Spotlight: “Who Is In Your Framily?”

We are so very grateful for Amanda Finnis, a volunteer who goes above and beyond for GiGi’s Playhouse Annapolis, and of course having Amanda, Sven, Ainsley, and Taryn in the Playhouse is the “Best of All”! Prior to our Grand Opening, Amanda helped extensively securing in-kind & service donations through her community, including our excellent…

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Where Parachutes Lift You Up!

By: Sandy Shearer As a volunteer for the Tuesday morning LMNOP class, I get to watch things unfold…and it’s a beautiful thing to see!   The LMNOP (Language, Music, ‘N Our Peeps) class is for babies 0-3 years old filled with purposeful and fun activities. Tressa D. leads us in learning basic sign language, singing,…

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