Meet The New Program Leaders – LMNOP

This spring we were blessed with NINE new program leaders! How wonderful for our families to experience the enthusiasm, joy, and talent each of these individuals brings. With their support, we’ve been able to grow and expand our offering of therapeutic and educational programs to folks with Down syndrome of all ages!

In a series of blog posts, we will introduce them all, beginning with three rockstars who have taken the reins of LMNOP (Language, Music, ‘N’ Our Peeps): Denise, Trevor, and Dawn!

Denise (left) and Dawn (right) are sisters, and Trevor (center) is Denise’s son. They are all longtime friends of GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit. Right after we opened in 2019, Trevor began participating in programs, and Denise and Dawn both started volunteering. LMNOP is a new role for them, and we are thrilled to welcome them in this capacity!

We asked these volunteers a few questions and here is what they said….

Denise

What excites you about this program?

What excites me about LMNOP is getting to know the new parents and helping them with concerns and questions.  My greatest resource has always been other parents who have been where I am going.  I am excited to offer my knowledge as well as show them how amazing it is to have a loved one with Down syndrome.

What was your favorite vacation?  

My favorite vacation was St. Lucia for my wedding and Hawaii with my family.  I love anywhere with sunshine and family!

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?  

If I had any superpower, it would be mind control.  We need more love and acceptance in our world, and I would love for everyone to see the value in each individual person and accept people for who they are. 

Trevor

What excites you about this program?

Seeing the babies. 

What was your favorite vacation?

Melbourne Beach and St. George Island, Florida. 

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I want to be able to teleport so I can get to places faster.

Dawn

What excites you about leading LMNOP?

I love getting to see the babies and their families each week. I am excited that Denise, Trevor and I get to share all of our love for singing and dancing with the GiGi’s community. I am also excited about seeing the connections being made between families at the Playhouse. 

What was your favorite vacation?

I love all of our Florida family vacations. My favorite adult vacation would be to St. Lucia way back in 1998. 

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I would want to fly. I like flying but sometimes I am scared. If I could fly on my own without depending on an aircraft I would fly around the world to see everything! 

There you have it!

LMNOP is an interactive and engaging program designed to guide parents and young children through learning basic sign language and other forms of communication while using music and language-based activities. It is recommended for ages pre-natal to 36 months.

To learn more about all of our programs, visit our website.