Awareness
A Sibling’s Reflection: “Never Knew a World without Down Syndrome”
Guest post by Tamara Fobare I am #7 of 10 kids. My oldest sister lived one day. The next child, Winston, was born with Down syndrome. When he was very young, he had heart surgery to save his life. The doctors told my parents, “Don’t expect him to live past 9 years old,” and “There…
Read MoreSpotlight on Luke Tyrrell, a Bright and Talented Freshman at Calvin University
Guest Post by Yamna Bukhari We are excited to share that GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit’s very own Luke Tyrrell began his journey in tertiary education this 2022-23 academic year! Luke is a part of the Ready for Life program at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, and a proud recipient of a Ruby’s Rainbow scholarship. I had…
Read MoreVolunteer Spotlight: Sue Rokosz
Sue Rokosz has volunteered as a Math Tutor for GiGi’s Detroit since June of 2021. After a 39-year career with Ford Motor Company, Sue retired from the position of Senior Environmental Engineer and thankfully, brought her brilliant mind and generous heart to our Playhouse the following summer. When it comes to tutoring, Sue always goes…
Read MoreProgram Spotlight: LMNOP
LMNOP = Language, Music, ‘N’ Our Peeps! All babies know how to communicate; cry if you want something, continue to cry until someone figures it out. As they get a little older, their behavior and means of communication expand. If they want something, they’ll reach, point, or maybe even throw a tantrum for it. As…
Read MoreAlong for the Journey: Having a Sister with Down Syndrome
Guest post by Aria Kim My youngest sister Elena (13) has Down syndrome. In many ways, Elena is the best thing that has ever happened to my family. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about Down syndrome; many people assume that raising a child with a disability is challenging. As Elena’s older sister,…
Read MoreAmina Grace Speech and Language Program: The Clinicians’ Perspective I
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…
Read MoreFather’s Day Spotlight: Pat Craddock
Happy Father’s Day to the amazing DADS in our community! We are sending a heartfelt shout out to the new dads, experienced dads, granddads, dads-in-law, stepdads, like-a-dads, and especially all the dads of individuals with Down syndrome. We’d also like to take this opportunity to highlight one particular super dad in the DS community: Pat…
Read MoreWorld Down Syndrome Day from the eyes of First Graders
“Why are we wearing crazy socks today for World Down Syndrome Day?” was the question posed to a group of 21, our lucky number, first graders. Several hands shot up but the girl who answered the question said, “So people with Down syndrome can know we’re celebrating them.” It was an unexpected answer but so…
Read MoreJoin us as a GiGi’s Detroit Playhouse Champion!
How have you been celebrating Down Syndrome Acceptance Month? There are so many ways to honor this month and advocate for individuals with Down syndrome. Here are just a few: Do you share facts and information about Down syndrome on your social media channels? Are you a blogger or do you share stories about your…
Read MoreNew Faces of GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit
Out with the old and in with the new! Part of our mission at GiGi’s Playhouse is to promote the positive perception of individuals with Down syndrome. Therefore, every GiGi’s Playhouse around the country features amazing photo galleries of individuals with Down syndrome on the inside AND outside of their Playhouses. On the front of our Playhouse,…
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