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<\/a>If you follow college sports even just a little, you probably know this is Mike Krzyzewski\u2019s final season as head coach of the men\u2019s basketball team at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.<\/p>\nCoach K\u2019s 42-year career boasts five national titles and 13 Final Four appearances. Impressive stats. And wins-losses at home?\u00a0 572-75. A winning percentage of 88.4 home games that began with the same pre-game tradition:<\/p>\n
Before tipoff, Coach K would find Blue Devil fan Steve Mitchell who was born with Down syndrome in his regular seat (right behind Coach K) to exchange a \u201cgo get \u2018em\u201d handshake. Game after game, season after season, year after year, \u201cgo get \u2018em\u201d handshakes were shared between these two men. This 37-year tradition of a kind human-touch gesture ended only 5 years ago when Mitchell passed away at age 62.<\/p>\n
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\u201cGo get \u2018em\u201d exchanges like this are happening every day at GiGi\u2019s Playhouses nationwide too!<\/p>\n
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\u201cGo get \u2018em\u201d handshakes, fist bumps and hugs abound. Check this one out between our Site Director, Lizz Maxwell, and my grandson, Caden Carlisle!<\/p>\n
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Encouragement goes a long way for both parties when a kind human-touch gesture that says \u201cI see you\u201d can be shared. Once we grasp the impact we can have in such a simple gesture, it\u2019s something we just can\u2019t keep to ourselves but have to share with others! Just as the Krzyzewski\/Mitchell handshake preceded and promoted a probable victory, GiGi\u2019s Playhouses are doing the same by touching the lives of so many in their communities. Volunteers, therapists, workers, advocates and encouragers are getting into the game to change the world\u2019s view of Down syndrome.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And, we\u2019re not keeping it behind closed doors at GiGi\u2019s either, but taking it to the streets!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Check out the fun exchange between enthusiasts at Starbucks with our very own Amy!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lizz continues spreading the Generation G message with speaking platforms within our local schools. Seeds of awareness are planted with each event.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n My daughter and son-in-law, Dana and Cody Carlisle, spend a lot of family time at Lakewood Park. Caden is well known at the park as he offers a \u201cgo get \u2018em\u201d fist bump to every person in sight. Smiles abound in this kind human-touch exchange.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At GiGi\u2019s, it begins with a pledge, \u201cBe Generous. Be Accepting. Be Kind.\u201d\u00a0 Write that capital letter \u2018G\u2019 with a heart on the palm of your hand and extend it to another! With a \u201cgo get \u2018em\u201d handshake, hug or fist bump, there\u2019s no stopping what we can do! Coach K and Steve Mitchell showed us that insurmountable victories always begin that way!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Have you taken the Generation G pledge yet? We would love to come visit your school and spread our “go get ’em” message today!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n