Posts by Candi Medeiros

When you walk or drive by GiGi’s Playhouse, you are met with adorable and handsome full window photos of our participants with their trademark smiling faces. You know right away that GiGi’s is a place filled with joy. But anyone who walks by and takes a closer look will notice that, beside those bigger-than-life portraits,…

You know, some people who drive by GiGi’s Playhouse get the idea that it’s a photography studio because of the beautiful bigger-than-life photos of smiling people that fill the windows. Some think that it’s a childcare center due to our name or the playful logo that appears above the front door. Some that know that…

When I present to a group, I often use a power point that, among other things, tells the history of GiGi’s Playhouse and our Des Moines location. There is a slide in that presentation that talks about the “ripple effect” – how a single method of outreach can make a big impact. Here is a…

You’ve probably heard the myths about Down syndrome, including “People with Down syndrome are always so happy”. I can say that, although many of the people that I’ve met with Down syndrome tend to express joy more freely than most, they also convey the same range of emotions that anyone else does. After a few…

Mariner is a wealth planning and management company that applies an integrated approach to wealth management that helps simplify their clients’ lives. But that’s not why GiGi’s Playhouse loves them. We love them because of what Mariner does to enrich the lives of our participants. They provided great corporate support of our March Gala and…

We say it over and over – that GiGi’s could not exist without the dedication of our volunteers – with more than 60 that donate nearly 250 hours of their time to our Playhouse in any given month. Today, I introduce to you one of those special volunteers: Pyper. I first met Pyper at the…

For this blog, our Executive Director, John Claes, shares a post from his weekly Facebook feature that he calls “New Friend Friday”, where he introduces a GiGi’s Participant to his personal network. For today’s New Friend Friday, I introduce you to seven-year-old Nick. This photo is of him and his friend Tammy that was taken…

Birthdays at GiGi’s are always special. Participants love to sing to each other and (maybe) bring cupcakes or cookies to the Playhouse for a “sweet” celebration. I was quiet about my birthday falling on a day of GiGi’s Kitchen, but the information somehow “leaked” and I was given an unexpected and sweet celebration of my…

On Saturday, April 5th, many GiGi’s families experienced a magical morning with several well-known characters from animated movies come to life, compliments of the University of Iowa’s chapter of A Moment of Magic. But how exactly did they appear at our Playhouse? And, what is “A Moment of Magic, exactly? It all began in 2014,…

Some time ago, I ran across a fascinating YouTube video that featured a young man with Down syndrome named Frank Stephens. Frank was testifying before congress to ask for increased funding for Down syndrome by stressing the value that he and others with Trisomy 21 bring to the world. In the video (you can watch…