Thank you, Sarah!
In any given month, more than 50 volunteers come to GiGi’s Playhouse to lead a cumulative 600 hours of purposeful programming at GiGi's. We are lucky that a good number of our volunteers come as students pursuing medical degrees at Des Moines University, and one of the best has been...
Come Play in the Dirt with Hazel!
Ahhh, Summer! A time for kids to take a break from School, hit the swimming pool, ride bikes and… play in the dirt?When I was a kid, playing in the dirt was something to do while waiting for something else to do. But at GiGi’s Playhouse, it has become the...
Thanks to Hy-Vee, It’s Going to be a Great Summer in the GiGi’s Kitchen!
When I was growing up, Hy-Vee was that helpful smile in every aisle. Now, that smile of theirs is the shortest distance between two people. Well, that’s certainly the case at GiGi’s Playhouse.Today, Hy-Vee helped fill GiGi’s Playhouse with smiles when we rolled out new uniforms for our participants and...
Welcome, Mara!
Mara Schell is a senior at Drake University, where she is pursuing undergraduate studies in Anthropology, Sociology, and Spanish. Originally from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, she enjoys reading, taking walks, and spending time with friends in her free time.Although previously unfamiliar with GiGi’s Playhouse, a summer internship opportunity gave Mara the occasion...
How I Spent My Summer Vacation: A Helpful Tutorial from GiGi’s Playhouse
For many school-age kids, the next schoolyear will start with a teacher’s request to have each student write an essay entitled, “How I Spent My Summer Vacation”. Well, for all the moms and dads of teens with Down syndrome in the Des Moines area, we’d like to help. A summer...
With Deep Gratitude to Our Founders
Attending my first GiGi’s Playhouse National Leadership Conference in November of 2024 as a newly hired Executive Director was a great experience. I met colleagues from across the GiGi’s network and learned so much about the structure and purpose of GiGi’s Playhouse. As a bonus, I got to meet GiGi...
GiGi’s and Birdies for Charity
Des Moines has played host of a major golf event for 25 years. First known as The Allianz Championship, the Glen Oaks Country Club first hosted this stop on the Senior PGA Tour in 2001.Principal took over as the title sponsor in 2007, and the Wakonda Club has played host...
What’s Growing On at GiGi’s Playhouse?
If you walked by Playhouse this week, you might have asked yourself, “Hmmm… I wonder what’s growing on at GiGi’s?” Last week, four large two-foot-high hard plastic containers appeared at the northwest perimeter of our parking lot. Then on Wednesday afternoon, Mila Johnson and Iowa State University Extension Office Master...
It Was Another Moment of Magic at GiGi’s
This past Saturday, GiGi’s hosted “Moment of Magic”. It was the fourth time that we welcomed this group from Iowa City into the Playhouse over the past two years. Each time this group comes, they live up to the “Magic” that they promise – the presence of these beloved characters...
How Much Do We Love Our Volunteers???
If you’re keeping score at home, you probably know that GiGi’s Playhouse provides 600 hours of progressive and purposeful programs to 200 participants in any given month. And you probably know that 99% of the programs are led by volunteers. Lots of them.In fact, we averaged 57 volunteers who gave...
Joel Takes the Mound!
The GiGi’s Playhouse friendship with players on the Drake University Softball team started when centerfielder Tatum Aragon started her internship at GiGi’s Playhouse in August of 2025. In addition to leading or co-leading a wide range of GiGi’s programs, Tatum started bringing her teammates to GiGi’s for Fantastic Friends on...
