Volunteer Spotlight: Melinda

My name is Melinda and I have always loved working with children with special needs. From volunteering as a high school student, to choosing a career as an occupational therapy assistant. As a COTA, I have worked for Stark County Board of DD as well as Stark and Summit County Educational Service Centers. I currently work with Project SEARCH which is a transition program partnered with Summa Health. I have worked with all ages but have always felt that special connection with preschoolers. I love their excitement in learning and love helping them learn to be independent. Volunteering with GiGi’s Leaps and Bounds program is such a joy for me! I try to find fun activities the kids can do to promote fine motor and bilateral hand skills to ready them for kindergarten. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family which includes watching my grandson play soccer, boating and traveling to Nashville to visit my other two grandchildren. I am also a fierce advocate for animal rescue and I currently have one dog, Wendy, a border collie mix that I’ve had for 13 years. Spring and summer are by far my favorite seasons of the year and I enjoy spending time outside by my garden pond and tending to my flowers as well as feeding the hummingbirds.  

My favorite thing about working at GiGi’s playhouse is watching the kids learn and grow. I have been working with many since the start of the program in crawlers and walkers and they are now in preschool and attend Leaps and Bounds. They have grown so much!