Meet Emily Kaska
Grace Glenny (Left, GiGi's Playhouse Chicago, Site Coordinator) and Jennifer Puma (Right, Program Coordinator) with Emily Kaska (Middle). The staff at GiGi's Playhouse Chicago had the pleasure of talking and collaborating with Emily Kaska, who is the executive director of Down Syndrome New South Wales. This is an organization based...
Volunteers Needed for Ribfest – Join the Fun and Make a Difference!
Our Playhouse has the opportunity to participate in another local festival with the Northcenter Chamber of Commerce for Ribfest Chicago and raise money for our Playhouse! Ribfest is celebrating their 23rd year in the Northcenter area and we are looking for volunteers from our GiGi's community to come out and...
Cheryl and Quincy: The Power of Community
Written by Ellie McNeil - GiGi's Playhouse Chicago Outreach Intern GiGi's Playhouse Chicago Secretary, Cheryl, and daughter, Quincy. Cheryl knew from the start that being a part of the Down syndrome community was very important and exciting. After finding out about her daughter's, Quincy, diagnosis of Down syndrome, she researched...
Welcome, Ellie!
Written by: Ellie McNeil Ellie McNeil is a fourth-year student at the University of Northern Iowa, studying Recreation, Tourism, and Nonprofit Leadership. She will be interning with GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago for the Summer season. Ellie grew up about 3 hours East of Chicago, in the Quad Cities. She has two...
TEEN TASTIC SPRING 2023
By: Madelyn Falk, Teen Tastic Program Lead- GiGi's Playhouse Chicago Our Teen Tastic program is a wonderful place for participants to practice social skills, make friends, and have tons of fun! This Spring, we did so many great activities including setting goals, dance parties, and so much more! Sign up...
Occupational Therapy Capstone Projects at the Playhouse
Written by Allison Harvey - Rush University Occupational Capstone Student Being able to complete my capstone experience at both GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago and Gateway to Learning was one of the best experiences that I will truly cherish for the rest of my life. Not only was I able to implement...
Valentine’s Day Party Blog
Authors: Sydney, Colleen, Emily, Lucy, Leslie, and Ryan We had an awesome and amazing Valentine’s Day Party at GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago! It was on Thursday February 9th. Our favorite parts were the chocolate fountain, the treats, and the singing/dancing. We did a partner dancing game where you had to switch...
Partnership with North Park Elementary School
by Jennifer Casey, Outreach Committee Co-Chair - GiGi's Playhouse Chicago We are grateful to Cassidy and Sam, wonderful moms from North Park Elementary School, who reached out this fall as they considered local community learning opportunities for their children's 1st grade class. When we met shortly after, we felt an...
A Trip to the Zoo!
By: Stephanie and Karen Last week, we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo! We had a great time. Our favorite part was the penguins and the meerkats. We got to test a new sign and give our feedback to make it more accessible for people with different abilities. They had...
Welcome Anna & Allie! Rush OT Capstone Students
Meet Anna! Pictured Left Hello! My name is Anna Parker and I am a third-year Occupational Therapy student at Rush University. I am spending 14 weeks at GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago to complete my doctoral capstone project. For my project, I will be running a health and wellness program with the...
Taking Action to Prevent Bullying in Your Community
Did you know that 1 of every 5 students report being bullied, and less than 50% report the bullying incident to others (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019)? Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that is repetitive and involves a power imbalance. There are different types of bullying,...
Welcome Megan and Lauren!
Occupational therapy (OT) promotes health and well-being by supporting participation in everyday occupations. This includes activities that people need and want to do. Occupational therapy promotes physical, mental, and social well-being, and therapeutic goals are often unique to the interests and values of individual clients. Occupational therapists work with individuals...