Cassius

EDUCATE. Inspire. Believe.

For World Down Syndrome Day last month one of our families asked if we could share our school presentation and activity packet with her to share with her students and girl scout troop. At GiGi's we work hard to prepare our participants for the world with therapeutic and life skills...
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Eagle Scout Makes GiGi’s Deerfield ROCK!

Hi, I’m Andrew! Have you seen the gym at GiGi's Playhouse Deerfield? For my Eagle Scout Project we put in a climbing wall and some cool shelving and hooks for the exercise balls and medicine balls in the gym.  I had a blast working with fellow scouts, good friends, my...
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Gabriela’s Journey in Spanish

"En el año 18 recibí una gran sorpresa estaba embarazada nació mi hija Gabriela diagnosticada con síndrome de down fue triste pero a la vez supe que tenía que luchar muy fuerte no tenía idea por dónde empezar Y entonces me hablaron de. GIGIS fue Cómo abrir una puerta que...
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GiGiCon 2021

Once a year we gather together with playhouses all over the country, and Mexico, to share best practices, stories of inspiration, challenges we have faced and overcome, and to learn about new technology and program launches we have to look forward to in the next year. The GiGi’s National Conference...
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About Grace

 Hi y’all, my name is Grace Spath and I am a junior speech pathology and child development double major from Lake Bluff currently studying at Texas Christian University. I am a SLP intern at GiGi's Deerfield for the summer (and hopefully the summers to come) and have been running our...
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New Year and New Board Members

To sustain our mission and our playhouse we look to strong leaders. Our playhouse is governed by a board of directors who manage our fundraising and events, budgeting and program planning, advocacy and community engagement, and more. We're so excited to announce that several new board members have joined our...
Jill and Kids

National Volunteer of the Year!

Every year in November the playhouses from across the country gather together to share ideas, best practices, and trainings to ensure we are providing the latest and greatest to our families. Although this year was our first virtual conference the impact was just as great. The last day of conference...
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Introducing Erin

My name is Erin E. Mallicoat and I’m from Northbrook, Illinois. I’m 21 years old and I have one older brother, two of the sweetest dogs in the world, and I live with my awesome mom and dad! At the age of 2, I was diagnosed with Down Syndrome and...
Ray Family at Hospital

I Am the Storm

Before Finn was born I had all these fears and thoughts about his future, about my future. Would he make friends, go to school, hold a job, move out of our house? He arrived and my fears and thoughts had to change to focus on what was immediately in front...
Cassius

Language, Music, N’ Our Peeps at the Park

It felt like Christmas in August at our first ever outdoor LMNOP this past weekend. Our excitement and joy was felt throughout the park. FOURTEEN families including THREE BRAND NEW FAMILIES gathered at a safe, social-distance to work on those important speech and communication skills with Jill and Judith. Our...
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How to Stay Active

How to Stay Active at Home Maintaining a healthy lifestyle for you and your family is challenging enough without the burden of COVID-19. It seems like most days are more work than play, and the last thing you want to do is add another thing to your list of “to-dos”....
Me and Gabi (2)

The Power of GiGi’s At Home

I have written many times about what GiGi’s means to me. Now officially five years in, I can say the playhouse has truly shaped who I am and recently I have gotten to witness the impact it has on my daughter. We learn so much from the kids and adults...