Volunteer Spotlight

  Meet Jenny Meade! In honor of National Volunteer Appreciation Week we would like to share a bit about our volunteer extraordinaire Jenny. Jenny has been volunteering with GiGi’s Playhouse since September of 2016, and we couldn’t imagine GiGi’s without her! Jenny volunteers with the GiGi University Internship program, and she is also a GiGi’s Math…

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Our First Mom’s Night Out of 2017 was a Blast!

      We had so much fun at our Mom’s Night Out on Thursday, and we can’t wait to host another one on March 23rd! We started off the night with some appetizers, wine, and conversation. We wanted to create a night where moms could have a moment for themselves, spark their creativity, and build community! With…

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A drive for volunteering #wishesdelivered

A Drive for Volunteering To her customers, Shelly Perez-Dickson is the face of UPS. But to the kids at GiGi’s Playhouse, a Down syndrome achievement center in Des Moines, Iowa, she is a beloved teacher and a close friend. For several years, Shelly has volunteered at GiGi’s mentoring children with Down syndrome and fostering life-defining…

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The Kiwanis Basketball Jamboree is this Saturday!!

GiGi’s Playhouse is honored to be the 2015 Beneficiary of the Kiwanis Basketball Jamboree! The Des Moines metro area Kiwanis Clubs work together to host the annual Kiwanis Basketball Jamboree, a fun event that brings together 16 of the Central Iowa Metro League basketball teams (boys & girls) in one exciting day of 30 minute…

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Art Explosion Starts in November!

We are so excited to announce that starting in November GiGi’s will offer Art Explosion on the 2nd Tuesday of every month from 3:45 to 5:00pm! Art Explosion provides a hands on experience with multiple art media and provides an outlet for individuals with Down syndrome to express themselves, build confidence and socialize with peers. Open…

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And the Winner is….

We had a great turn out of local artists for our ‘Be A Star’ 5k & Inspirational Walk Coloring Contest held this summer!  Thank you to all who participated and allowed us to display your artwork at GiGi’s Playhouse! And now it is time to announce our WINNERS! In the age category of 0-8 year…

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A Daily Stand for Global Acceptance

Friends: today we come to you with troubling news – news that demonstrates why GiGi’s Playhouse fights so hard every day for Global Acceptance. We BELIEVE that people of all abilities should be treated with dignity. Not everyone does. We believe people of all abilities should be included. Not everyone does. We believe people of…

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One of our AWESOME Kid’s Club Program Hosts and mother of Max & Mitchell shared this story with us!  “I want to share that we had another great evening on Saturday of Kid’s Club! Max looks forward to Kid’s Club and talks about it the entire week before. It is so awesome to have him naming…

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Friday Friends Firsts!

This past Friday evening was full of firsts here at GiGi’s!  We had several 1st Time Volunteers for Friday Friends, we had a 1st Time Activity of planting Flowers, and we had a 1st Time Family attend! From one of our first time at Friday Friends families who have volunteered said, “My first initial impression…

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Ready. Set. Luau.

Our Hawaiian themed Learn and Play was a fun filled morning! Families arrived early and were able to play until others showed up, this allowed children to begin building friendships! When we were ready to get started, we opened with everyone saying their name when they caught the beach ball and tell us something they enjoy doing, then throw the beach ball to another person.…

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