Down Syndrome Awareness vs. Acceptance: Why Awareness Isn’t Enough
Many view awareness as a destination. They believe that giving society exposure to a group of people, like those with Down syndrome, is the endgame. They treat Down Syndrome Awareness Month as a box to check. But at GiGi’s Playhouse, we see it differently. We view awareness as the beginning,...
Ways to Promote Down Syndrome Acceptance
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month (DSAM). At GiGi’s Playhouse, we’re celebrating with 31 Ways in 31 Days, a fun and meaningful challenge designed to raise awareness, promote inclusion, and spread acceptance for individuals with Down syndrome. While Down syndrome acceptance may feel especially timely in October, these 31 actions...
October 2025 Newsletter
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS NEWS FREE PROGRAMS 62 LOCATIONS GLOBAL ACCEPTANCE A word from our Founder, Nancy Gianni Hello GiGi's Change Makers! BREAKING NEWS: GiGi is taking the mic and taking our mission to the big leagues! This November, GiGi will perform the National Anthem at The Lucky Classic, a star-studded softball...
Celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Year-Round: Resources for Support & Acceptance
For many, October means Halloween, pumpkin patches, and crisp fall air. But for others, it represents something even more meaningful: Down syndrome awareness. October is nationally recognized as Down Syndrome Awareness Month. It's a time to educate, advocate, and celebrate the incredible contributions of individuals with Down syndrome. However, while...
September 2025 Newsletter
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS NEWS FREE PROGRAMS 62 LOCATIONS GLOBAL ACCEPTANCE A word from our Founder, Nancy Gianni Hello GiGi's Change Makers! Play Video When I started GiGi's Playhouse, I made a promise to my daughter GiGi - a promise that she would grow up in a world that saw her, believed...
Building Futures: How GiGi’s Playhouse Sugarland Is Empowering Adults with Down Syndrome
Lexi needed a job. Like so many recent college graduates, she returned home with a degree in hand and the hope of meaningful employment. But unlike most grads, Lexi had one more hurdle: she has Down syndrome. As a proud graduate of the Aggie ACHIEVE program at Texas A&M University,...
Starting Small, Dreaming Big: LMNOP Expands Its Reach in Nigeria
When Tola Makinde first visited GiGi’s Playhouse Twin Cities nearly a decade ago, she was a young mom from Nigeria searching for answers, community, and hope for her daughter, Mo, who was born with Down syndrome. That single visit planted a seed. When Tola first visited a GiGi’s Playhouse in...
August 2025 Newsletter
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS NEWS FREE PROGRAMS 62 LOCATIONS GLOBAL ACCEPTANCE A word from our Founder, Nancy Gianni Hello GiGi's Change Makers! I've been to a lot of baseball games in my life. But this one was different. It wasn't about just cheering on the Texas Rangers; it was about watching a...
Learning Is Hard for All of Us: Why GiGi’s Playhouse Tutoring Matters
Reading is hard. Math can be even harder. We’ve all been there before — we see a word we don’t recognize, or a math problem we can’t solve, and we get stuck. Whether it happens in the classroom or at home, it’s frustrating. For individuals with Down syndrome, the implications...
July 2025 Newsletter
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS NEWS FREE PROGRAMS 62 LOCATIONS GLOBAL ACCEPTANCE A word from our Founder, Nancy Gianni Hello GiGi's Change Makers! Can you believe it's already July?! As the summer months fly by, I wanted to take a moment to pause and do something we rarely get to do during this...
June 2025 Newsletter
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS NEWS FREE PROGRAMS 62 LOCATIONS GLOBAL ACCEPTANCE A word from our Founder, Nancy Gianni Hello GiGi's Change Makers! So many amazing things are happening across the GiGi's Playhouse network! But before we dive into all the good, I need to take a moment to talk about something deeply...
May 2025 Newsletter
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS NEWS FREE PROGRAMS 61 LOCATIONS GLOBAL ACCEPTANCE A word from our Founder, Nancy Gianni Hello GiGi's Change Makers! It's happening again… we're opening another Playhouse! And this one marks an incredible milestone: our 62nd GiGi's Playhouse! In fact, as you read this, GiGi and I are on the...