World Down Syndrome Day is March 21st
Happy March, GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago! This month is extra special and celebratory with March 21st being World Down Syndrome Day. On this day, we get to celebrate and continue to raise awareness about Down syndrome and our mission of global acceptance for all!
Did you know these interesting facts about Down syndrome?
- Down syndrome is a genetic disorder where a child is born with an extra copy of their 21st chromosome (hence its other name, Trisomy 21).
- Down syndrome is the leading cause of developmental delay in the world, occurring at a rate of 1 in 691 live births, and is the least funded.
- There are more than 450,000 people with Down syndrome in the US.
- 1 out of every 700 babies in the US are born with Down syndrome. That’s a lot of happiness being brought into the world!
- People who have Down Syndrome are capable, loved and celebrated at GiGi’s Playhouse every day!
To learn more about Down syndrome and how it’s celebrated at GiGi’s Playhouse, please visit our website.
We are constantly in awe of our participants and how they are continually striving to be their Best of All. Below, we wanted to highlight some of our amazing participants and what they are doing to champion our community and continue to change the way the world views Down syndrome!
Jayden Wrote a Blog Post!
Jayden has been very busy with his occupational therapy tutor Kate these last few months and has longed to be featured on our Playhouse blog! One day, they decided to change up their tutoring session schedule and Jayden created his first blog post about the process of creating his creative arts and crafts creature. He worked so hard to write a lot about his new friend and is thrilled to know he is now an official GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago blog publisher! You can read Jayden’s blog post here.
Quincy Started Her Own Playhouse Program EPIC – Quincy’s Corner
After having to close our Playhouse doors in March 2020 due to Covid-19, Quincy wanted to keep pushing through and stay connected with her Playhouse friends during quarantine. From her willingness to try something new, Quincy’s Corner, an extension of our EPIC program, evolved! She has continued to lead this awesome group of young adults with Down syndrome every week for almost a year with fun, engaging and thought provoking discussions, games and conversations. Sign up for the next session of EPIC – Quincy’s Corner here!
Virtual Program Impact
Jaretzi is a regular to our Dance & Yoga program at the Playhouse. She was usually very shy and would take time warming up to people and for activities. Before our doors close due to COVID-19, Jaretzi was just coming out of her shell. However, her shyness seemed to disappear once virtual programming began. We were really happy to have her join us for virtual Dance & Yoga every Wednesday. She has not only overcome being shy, but also leads our dance parties and attends our yoga led by young adults with Down syndrome! She was very happy to see her friends and learn new dance moves (which she learned very quickly). We are so proud of Jaretzi and can’t wait to see her back at the Playhouse in person!
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