New Friend Friday!

For this Blog, I’m going to steal a feature from my personal social media posts that I call “New Friend Friday”, where I introduce a GiGi’s participant to my personal network. I do that to give my family, friends and professional acquaintances an idea of the impact that we make on the Down syndrome community, one real person at a time.

Typically, the “New Friend” that I introduce each week is a participant. Today, I’m going to change it up and introduce to you our Operations Manager, Tamara. Anyone who knows her will certainly understand why.

Tamara’s introduction to GiGi’s Playhouse came because of her son, Lucas, who has Down syndrome. Over the years, Lucas participated in a variety of GiGi’s programs like Fantastic Friends, GiGi’s Kitchen and tutoring. Like many parents that bring children to GiGi’s, Tamara started volunteering. That led to an offer to have Tamara join the staff on a part-time basis to do bookkeeping and data entry twelve years ago. Over time, she took on more hours to fill more needs of the Playhouse. And, as Site Managers, Program Directors, Executive Directors and Board Members have come and gone, Tamara has been the continuity that has kept the wheels spinning. Hers is the voice and the face that everyone recognizes, hers is the name that everyone passes along, and hers is the kindness and temperament upon which everyone relies.

Just like you, I appreciate Tamara. I and thankful for her institutional knowledge, her patience as I stumble through new processes, her willingness to think about things in a new way, and the valuable perspective that she consistently provides. She still works part-time but has a full-time heart for GiGi’s Playhouse. And we all are so lucky for that.

What about you? Do you have space (or more space) in your heart for GiGi’s Playhouse? We are always in need of volunteers, and I’ll bet we have something perfect for you! If so, please contact me at jclaes@gigisplayhouse.org.