Stars Shine Bright

Stars Shine Bright for GiGi’s Playhouse Des Moines:
Local Playhouse Recognized By National Achievement Office At International Conference

November 11, 2014 (DES MOINES, IA): GiGi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Centers announced 5 prestigious awards at its Annual Conference in Schaumburg, Illinois on Saturday, November 8, where nearly 200 board members, volunteers and staff from 30 locations across North America gathered for their annual event.  GiGi’s Playhouse Des Moines was honored with the “Super Star” award, which is awarded to one of the 30 Playhouse locations that demonstrates exceptional work toward achieving the Best Of All from all individuals with Down syndrome at all times! This award is given to a Playhouse that is continually used as an example of the way to do things right.

GiGi’s Playhouse Des Moines is honored with this award for the second year in a row!!  This is because they continue to be set apart as an example.  With a quarterly participation near 900 individuals, Des Moines is a tough act to follow, as they are at the top of the list in terms of participation, volunteer hours and donations.  And yet, they never cease to find new ways to grow and improve.  Des Moines will be our first location to launch GiGi U and Hugs + Mugs in 2015 and they are moving soon into a brand new HUGE space to support their growth!  Core Value = Best of All

Other Playhouses receiving awards at the 2014 Conference included Nashville (TN), Twin Cities (MN) and West Chester (NY). In total, GiGi’s Playhouse currently operates 17 Playhouses in the US and Mexico and has 16 more locations in the works, with at least 10 of them expected to open before the end of 2015.  According to Business Development Director Kim Hanna, “We receive 3-4 new inquiries a week from parents across the world about opening another Playhouse, putting our growth trajectory off the charts. Our message of celebration, achievement and acceptance is resonating with so many as GiGi’s sets out to truly change the way the world sees Down syndrome.”

GiGi’s Playhouse offers 30 different educational and therapeutic programs to individuals with Down syndrome of all ages and their families, including one-on-one literacy and math tutoring. All programs are free to families and are achievement-focused with distinct goals and objectives for continuous improvement in what GiGi’s calls “best of all”.  Programs are designed for the learning styles and needs of children and adults with Down syndrome and encourage participants to achieve their own “best of all,” making positive measurable progress each day.

Founder, CEO and Gigi’s Mom, Nancy Gianni adds, “Our unbelievable donors want to support Playhouses like Des Moines, and the amazing children and adults that utilize their Playhouse. Participants want nothing more than to use their voice and their skills to make their own dreams come true. Year by year, we plan to extend many more families the chance to build their confidence and belief, and see their children succeed. Playhouses like Des Moines make this dream a reality. One child, one diagnosis and one community at time: we lend our voice to their voice, and help make dreams come true.”