Uncategorized

At the end of this past spring, our long time and fabulous leader of GiGiFIT Toddler, Denise Hubbard, let us know she needed to take a break. Of course we were going to miss Denise, and for a short time we weren’t sure what would happen with this invaluable program. We knew Meghan Zidar, a…

444 Students  23 Teachers  6 Grade levels  1 School helping with 1 Mission: To Change the Way the World Views Down Syndrome.   Guest post by Kathleen Tynes Addams Elementary School in Royal Oak has been a long-time supporter of GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit. Back in 2022, Sarah, a parent from our Playhouse and former teacher at…

Guest post by Lauren Velez About 4 months ago, I began volunteering at GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit, assisting with multiple programs such as GiGiFIT Toddler, Open Play, and more. Each time I am there, I see perfect examples of inclusion. Perhaps inclusivity can look different depending on the environment you are in, but one thing remains…

Climb higher and higher, step after step, till you reach the top, and then WOOSH! Feel the wind in your hair and your heart skip a beat as you sail all the way to the bottom. Is there anything more exhilarating than going down a slide??? Most toddlers don’t think so!  What many of us…

Good friends are nothing short of FANTASTIC at GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit! Every first Friday of the month, participants ages 18 years and up gather for our Fantastic Friends program. The intention behind this program is to provide opportunities for adults with Down syndrome to take ownership in their time at the Playhouse; to do what…

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…

If you happen to be strolling by the Playhouse on a Tuesday evening, you’ll likely hear upbeat music, notice a large group of friends having a great time, and witness some wonderful volunteers supporting participants in reaching their #BestOfAll! For one hour a week, youth and adults with Down syndrome gather here to “get their…

Four short years ago, two phenomenal women, Bev Macke and Susan Chrysler, along with a team of eager volunteers, launched our Literacy Tutoring program for individuals with Down syndrome. During two of those years, the pandemic caused volunteers and participants to navigate uncharted territories with virtual programming. Despite the less-than-ideal circumstances, GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit knew…

We are thrilled to welcome an awesome intern from Oakland Community College to the crew at GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit this summer! Britney has already been super helpful by diving into 1:1 Literacy Tutoring with several participants, supporting group programs as an assistant and photographer, getting to know Playhouse families, helping out with prep for our…

Today we’re featuring the one and only, LISA KOCAB. This is the woman, the mother, the teacher, the advocate who moved to Metro Detroit from Milwaukee in 2016, looking for services for her son, Pj. Unsatisfied with what she found at the time, she brought with her the passion and enthusiasm that motivated a small…