{"id":142366,"date":"2025-10-21T11:43:56","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T16:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/fargo\/?p=142366"},"modified":"2025-10-21T11:43:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T16:43:56","slug":"leadership-in-action-governor-armstrong-joins-participants-for-gigis-kitchen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/fargo\/leadership-in-action-governor-armstrong-joins-participants-for-gigis-kitchen\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership in Action: Governor Armstrong Joins Participants for GiGi’s Kitchen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Governor<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Fargo, we often say that understanding leads to acceptance \u2014 and action leads to change.<\/em> Last night, we saw that belief come to life in a powerful way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in August, Governor Kelly Armstrong visited the Playhouse to learn more about our mission and the programs that empower individuals with Down syndrome. During that visit, one program stood out to him immediately: GiGi\u2019s Kitchen<\/a><\/strong>, our hands-on cooking program designed to build independence, confidence, and life skills through nutritious meal preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He didn\u2019t just express interest \u2014 he made a promise.
\u201cI want to come back and experience this myself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And he did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

A Night to Remember<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On October 2nd, Governor Armstrong<\/a> returned to GiGi\u2019s Playhouse \u2014 not alone, but with First Lady Kjersti Armstrong<\/strong> and Lt. Governor Michelle Strinden<\/strong> by his side \u2014 ready to cook alongside our participants in GiGi\u2019s Kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The energy in the room was incredible. There was laughter, teamwork, and the smell of freshly baked pizza<\/strong>, which served as the perfect backdrop for connection. The Governor wasn\u2019t just observing; he was kneading dough, chatting with participants, cheering them on,<\/em> and fully embracing the spirit of the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Special Surprise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the evening, Governor Armstrong presented each participant with his official challenge coin<\/strong> \u2014 a meaningful gesture typically reserved for recognizing service and excellence. For our participants, it became a symbol of respect, inclusion,<\/em> and an evening they\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

More than a Visit- A True Partnership<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

We are incredibly grateful to Governor Armstrong, First Lady Kjersti, and Lt. Governor Strinden<\/strong> for not just stopping by, but participating wholeheartedly.<\/em> Their willingness to show up, engage, and build relationships sends a powerful message: leadership is about presence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Fargo, we believe in building bridges \u2014 between families, communities, and leaders. Last night, one of those bridges got a little stronger.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Help Us Keep the Kitchen Cooking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

GiGi\u2019s Kitchen is not just one of our most beloved programs \u2014 it\u2019s also our fastest-growing<\/strong> and<\/em> most expensive<\/strong> to operate. With every new participant comes more ingredients, more adaptive tools, more curriculum supplies\u2026 and more life-changing joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this story inspired you, please consider supporting GiGi\u2019s Kitchen<\/strong> <\/a>so we can continue offering it 100% free<\/em> to families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc49 Donate today<\/strong> to keep meals \u2014 and milestones \u2014 on the menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
A $65 provides one hour of cooking for a participant.<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for believing in our mission and celebrating the abilities of every individual who walks through our doors.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We look forward to welcoming you back to the Playhouse soon \u2014 there\u2019s always more joy to be shared.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Fargo, we often say that understanding leads to acceptance \u2014 and action leads to change. Last night, we saw that belief come to life in a powerful way. Back in August, Governor Kelly Armstrong visited the Playhouse to learn more about our mission and the programs that empower individuals with Down syndrome.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17513,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-142366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/fargo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/fargo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/fargo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/fargo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17513"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/fargo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/fargo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142366\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/fargo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/fargo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/fargo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}