Maddz: Everyone Deserves a Birthday Celebration!
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...
Mariner Employees Set Sail for GiGi’s!
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...
Story of a GiGi’s Volunteer
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...
Tutoring is More than Just Instruction
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...
Happy Birthday to Me!
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...
A Moment of Magic at GiGi’s Playhouse
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?...
The Link Between Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease
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...
Adin + Music = Dancing!
When I think about 23-year-old Adin, I see him on stage at Fantastic Friends on a Friday night. But, unlike most everyone else, Adin isn’t singing karaoke to one of his favorite songs. No, he is dancing with his mom, Laura, and as happy as can be. You see, Adin...
We’re Going to Prom Gala Update
The 2025 GiGi’s “We’re Going to Prom” Gala was a fantastic success. The Hilton was decorated, well, “to the Hilt” and the event was better than any prom we attended in high school. No cliques, no acne, no chaperones keeping hooligans away from the punchbowl – just a fantastic crowd...
Making a Connection with Brian
At GiGi’s Playhouse, I meet a wide range of participants. I’ve met individuals with Down syndrome as young as three weeks old and adults in their 50s. Some are outgoing and very easy to get to know, including a few that would put Dale Carnegie to shame! And then there...
Introducing Steven: the Next TV Food Celebrity
If the Food Network ever needs a new on-air personality, let this serve as my nomination for Steven -- our resident connoisseur and our favorite “foodie”. Steven loves to help plan our Tuesday GiGi’s Kitchen menus, which can be a challenge because our courses are all vegan and nut-free. But...
Girl Scouts Cookies and GiGi’s Playhouse? What a Great Combination!
It’s Girl Scout Cookie season again, and two sisters in Grimes came up with a clever marketing idea to help them toward their goal of selling 810 boxes of those delightful treats by involving a cause near and dear to them. When seven-year-old Leah and eight-year-old Kaylee started their cookie...