Best of All – Abby!

Abby is like a beautiful rainbow, with all her qualities shining in perfect harmony. Just as a rainbow colors the sky at just the right moment, Abby brings her kindness, energy, and thoughtfulness to every situation. She brightens the room with her vibrant spirit, energizes those around her, and knows exactly when to be a quiet, supportive friend. Abby truly reflects all the colors of the rainbow, making her a cherished part of our community. As you’ll read below, Abby brings her Best of All each time she’s in the Playhouse, and because of that we are highlighting her this month!

Without hesitation, we wanted to highlight “Abby – Kadabby” this month as she displays incredible growth each time she enters the Playhouse. This gal frequents the Playhouse often, as she is involved in Project Pulse, GiGiFIT Teen, Speech Therapy, Teen Tastic, and Games with Friends Teen. In each program, she gives her best effort to challenge herself and those around her.

We asked her family to share the impact of GiGi’s Playhouse on Abby’s life, and they shared:

“Prior to GiGi’s, Abby generally would not have many activities after school until bedtime or during the summer, and keeping her engaged and active was difficult. Ever since her involvement with GiGi’s, she is excited about the upcoming program that day and starts talking about other programs (i.e. Teen Tastic and Games With Friends) a week before they happen. She has made a WHOLE group of new friends that she talks about daily, like Lily. Having Abby tell us about her activities and what she is learning/experiencing is an absolute joy every day!

Her participation in Project Pulse has improved the musical skills that she uses in her High School Mixed Choir, of which she has now been a member for the past two years. Her learning new musical concepts and reinforcing previous concepts have done wonders for her.

We can’t thank the GiGi’s Staff and Volunteers (especially Mary, Erin, and Libby) enough for what they do and for what the entire GiGi’s organization provides, not only to Abby, but all of her friends and their families as well.”

We asked Erin, our GiGiFIT Coordinator and Teen Tastic Program Lead, to share a bit about Abby’s growth and she shared:

“Abby is a rockstar at GiGiFIT- she shows up to every session confident and strong!  Along with putting 110% into all of her exercises, she is an amazing team player and a really great friend.  She is the first person to cheer on her peers, and always lends a helping hand when needed.  And lastly, as if we needed any icing on the Abby-Kadabby Cake of Amazing-ness, she is witty, fun, and turns every session into a PARTY!  We are so lucky to have her at GiGiFIT and Teen Tastic!”  

Mary, our Operations Manager and Program Lead for Project Pulse, shares:

“Abby is such a bright light at Project Pulse! She has truly stepped up her game during this most recent session, almost acting as a Program Assist for her peers. One incident that comes to mind is when I was absent for one session. Before I left, I asked Abby to help the peer next to her, and she did just that! She scooched her chair over, pulled out the individual’s social story, read it to them, and was eager to help! I was blown away by her leadership and willingness to make her friend successful during Project Pulse!”

For the past two sessions, Abby has been crushing her goals in our Amina Speech and Language program. We invited Libby, our Speech Language Pathologist, to share a bit about Abby’s Best of All!

“When Abby walks in the door, she brings an unmatched level of positive energy along with her.  That’s Abby’s superpower – when she shines, we all shine.  Abby’s energy sets the tone for our sessions: lively yet productive.  Our session usually begins by “catching up” on our week.  This spontaneous discourse allows for plenty of opportunities to share personal narratives such as dining at a delicious Italian restaurant, playing kickball with friends, or trying on a beautiful dress for a fancy occasion.  It goes without saying that it is essential our participants have the functional skills to contribute to meaningful conversation; these narratives allow us to work on sentence formulation, story elements, and discourse cohesion in a natural way.  After catching up, we review and role-play speech clarity strategies to improve speech intelligibility during communication breakdowns.  Abby has demonstrated growth in slowing her rate of speech and pausing between phrases.  She continues to work hard each session to independently recognize when there is a breakdown.  At the end of our day, we put it all together with music.  Abby practices slowing her rate of speech and exaggerating articulatory movements via her favorite song lyrics.  She grabs her makeshift microphone, and I join in.  And through the door of the therapy room, Disney Pixar’s soundtrack from the movie “Turning Red” can be heard: “Yeah, oh, yeah, I’ve never met nobody like you, like you, like you”.  There’s “Nobody Like U”, Abby!”

Abby, we are inspired by you and all that you accomplish! We love watching you become a leader amongst your peers, while experiencing your authentic joy and energy each time you’re at GiGi’s. We cannot wait to see all you’ll achieve in the future!