About GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit

The inspiration to bring GiGi’s Playhouse to Detroit began with a couple living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2011. This is where Lisa and Dave Kocab resided when their son, Pj, was born with Down syndrome. After navigating some challenging health scares with Pj, Lisa began looking for resources that would support his growth and development. Scrolling through social media one night, she stumbled across a picture of a beautiful little girl with almond shaped eyes. Clicking on this picture brought Lisa to the GiGi’s Playhouse website, where she learned about the many vital programs and therapies they provide, and she wanted to get involved.

Thus, Lisa and Dave worked alongside several other families to open the first GiGi’s Playhouse in Wisconsin. However, just after the Milwaukee location celebrated their one-year anniversary, the Kocabs learned Dave’s job was transferring them back to their home state of Michigan.

Upon moving back to the Great Lakes State, Lisa was introduced to Denise Moore. Denise has a daughter named Amber who was also blessed with an extra 21st chromosome. While Lisa was new to the Detroit Down syndrome network, Denise was not. As soon as Denise learned about GiGi’s Playhouse, she knew local families needed the resources GiGi’s offered. Denise contacted everyone she knew, and the two women hosted an informational night at Lisa’s parents’ home. That evening, sixteen couples gathered to learn about GiGi’s Playhouse and made the commitment to open one in the Detroit area.

It took two long years of raising awareness about Down syndrome and raising the funds required to build, but on January 27th, 2019, we officially became the 41st Playhouse in the North American network of Down Syndrome Achievement Centers. Our community celebrated with a big grand opening party, attended by original founders, Nancy and GiGi Gianni - the little girl in the picture with almond-shaped eyes.

Sixteen families came together believing they were doing something necessary for their own child, only to realize the Playhouse would have a tremendous ripple effect that would change hearts and minds throughout our communities and beyond. We now serve over 600 families in SE Michigan with FREE therapeutic and educational programs for people with Down syndrome of all ages. Please contact us at [email protected] for more information!