Posts by Bethany Wells

GiGi’s Playhouse is so much more than a global nonprofit or marketing brand. Each location began with a grassroots team of dreamers and believers, who cultivated a local Down Syndrome Achievement Center with incredible heart and personality. This would not be possible without the dedication and generosity of many people involved on every single level.…

We’re back with another Board Member Spotlight, this time featuring the one and only, Latonya Morgan! Latonya is a proud Detroiter, born and bred. She is also a Spartan alumna, with a degree in Employment & Labor Relations from MSU. She’s one of the founders of GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit and has served on our board…

Guest post by Angela Warsinke I thought I was miscarrying my second born at around 10-12 weeks. I ran to the doctor who told me the baby was okay, but it could be the beginning of a miscarriage and not much could be done to stop it. I was raised Catholic. I’ve never faithfully practiced…

The three pillars of theatre ~ singing, dancing & acting ~ are wonderful skills to develop as they build self-confidence, empowerment, and effective communication. Through a variety of drama improvisation techniques, theatrical productions, and games, our Drama Troupe supports personal growth and cooperation while learning self-expression with vocal and physical freedom. We are thrilled to…

If you’ve been following our board spotlight posts so far, you might notice a theme: We thrive as a team, but each individual shines in their own special way, adding a crucial piece to the collective whole. There are myriad reasons why Rose Busque is an invaluable slice of our sweet Playhouse pie, including but…

For most of our followers, this member of our board needs no introduction. If you’ve participated in any activity at our Playhouse within the last 3 years, you’ve probably interacted with her. If you didn’t receive direct support from her, it’s pretty much guaranteed she was heavily involved behind the scenes. What I’m trying to…

It’s a New Year and each month will come with its own special theme. Our theme for January is GRATITUDE. With tremendous gratitude to those who work faithfully behind the scenes, and in honor of our 4th anniversary, we’d like to (re)introduce our fabulous Board of Managers, starting with Betsy Larson!  Betsy is our brilliant Board Secretary,…

Shae Pettinga (Shaelyn) is a junior at Troy High School, and unlike many of her sixteen-year-old peers, she is actively committed to supporting individuals with Down syndrome both inside and outside of school. Shae began volunteering as a Literacy Tutor last fall, working with TWO participants. When one of her students had a difficult time…

The GiGi’s Playhouse Amina Grace Speech and Language program provides children, youth, and adults with greatly expanded opportunities to evolve and refine their clarity of speech, word order, enunciation, and message meaning. These skills are paramount to fostering greater self-confidence, comprehension, problem-solving, school readiness, social skills, independence, and overall quality of life. The benefits of…