We are continuing to feature one of our programs and one of our volunteers each month on the blog. We hope this helps you understand the background and focus of our various programs, as well as give you an opportunity to get to know the amazing volunteers who help make GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit possible! We are excited to feature one of our adult programs, Fantastic Friends!

June Program Spotlight: Fantastic Friends

On March 13, 2020 GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit had to make the tough decision to close our Playhouse doors in response to COVID-19. Just a few short days after closing our doors to our in person programming our National Office launched GiGi’s At Home. GiGi’s At Home brings the programming our families have come to know and love right into the comfort of their home. At our Detroit Playhouse we have continued to meet with our adult participants for Fantastic Friends virtually each week.

Fantastic Friends facilitates social interactions between adults with Down syndrome, their peers and the community. Fantastic Friends also supports the development of social skills and language through peer to peer interaction in a casual and fun setting. Our adults continue to meet on Wednesday afternoons and have covered a variety of different topics during the time of physical distancing. A few highlights from the last few months for our Fantastic Friends group, we got a visit from Sheriff Bouchard. Sheriff Bouchard is from The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department he joined our adults to talk about online safety. Susan Rodgers also visited our adults, she shared her expertise in processing emotions, talking about our feelings, and how to be a good friend during our time of physical distancing. We have also played many games, like bingo and even had a scavenger hunt!

While we are still practicing being physically distant from one another, our adults have enjoyed spending an hour each week with their friends! We will continue to meet virtually on Wednesday from 430PM-530PM, be sure to join us! Head over to our calendar to RSVP!

June Volunteer Spotlight: Nate Lein

This month’s volunteer spotlight is Nate Lein, our Summer virtual program intern. Nate is currently a Senior at the University of Indianapolis and finishing up his last semester. Nate’s plans for the summer were dramatically changed once COVID-19 hit. Lucky enough for our Playhouse we have had the pleasure of welcoming Nate to the Detroit Playhouse as a virtual program intern. Nate has taken on helping with our local programs, working to promote GiGi’s At Home programming to our social channels, developing on demand content, and running GiGi’s Kitchen for our Playhouse. In Nate’s free time he enjoys playing sports, playing video games, and heading out to Lake Michigan with his friends! We are so thankful for Nate and his continued support for our virtual programs, we are looking forward to spending the rest of the Summer with him!

Now do you want to jump in?

And as always, if you’d like to join us in changing the way the world views Down syndrome, we are always in need of volunteers!  Simply fill out the information here and we will get in touch with you!