Where Support Meets Opportunity: Matt’s Story of Resilience and Leadership

From My Perspective: Watching Matt Grow as a Leader

In our adult programs at GiGi’s Playhouse Charlotte, Matt stands out as a quiet but powerful leader. He leads through example—showing responsibility, kindness, and focus in everything he does. In GiGi’s Kitchen, especially, Matt has been a steady presence. He approaches recipes with patience and care, supports peers who need extra guidance, and helps maintain structure in the kitchen with his calm, collected approach.

What’s been most exciting to witness is how seamlessly he transfers the skills he’s learned at GiGi’s into his job at the country club: staying organized, working step-by-step, communicating clearly, and taking pride in a job well done. And in turn, he brings lessons from his workplace back into our programs, encouraging peers, offering tips, and helping others stay on track. His confidence has grown, and now he lifts others up right alongside him.

Matt’s growth is a beautiful reminder of why we do this work. He shows us what’s possible when adults with Down syndrome are given the tools, support, and opportunities to shine—and he continues to shine brighter every year.

From Matt’s Mom

“Matt was thrilled to celebrate three years on his job at a local country club in November. It initially took three visits—our initial visit, then one to turn in an application, and finally one to submit his resume and follow up—before we received a call offering him a job washing dishes and doing some food prep.

During Matt’s first year there, the head chef pretty quickly discovered that his food prep skills were a little slow for the pace they needed to move at. Also, over that first year, a conflict developed between Matt and another long-standing employee, which eventually led to a phone call from Matt’s boss saying that he was done. I panicked, but Matt calmly called and canceled all his rides to work the following week and texted the General Manager to say that he’d enjoyed working with him.

The GM, with whom Matt had formed a friendship, then called Matt personally. Upon learning Matt had been told he was ‘done, done,’ he said, ‘That’s not the way we do things around here!’ He called back the following Tuesday and offered him a job in Event Setup where the work moved at a more even pace, was predictable, and required attention to detail. It’s been a much better fit for Matt and he’s been at it for two years now. We’re thankful!”