Why GiGi’s?

As our crew of Board Members and other dedicated volunteers band together to do the physical and mental workouts involved with opening our Playhouse (make sure you’re signed up for our newsletter and Facebook feed for the announcement of our Grand Opening date!), we thought it would be good for each of us to recall why we are working so hard to bring GiGi’s Playhouse to our community.  This “Why GiGi’s” series begins with Founding President, Angela Rosenberg.  Come along with us on this journey!

MY WHY

by Angela Rosenberg

Have you ever wondered why GiGi’s Playhouse is important to our Down syndrome community? I am going to share my “why!” And give you just one story with many reasons why we’re needing this for our community!

Emery was born a couple weeks early but was a healthy beautiful bouncing baby boy, so you can imagine my surprise when I began to suspect a Down syndrome diagnosis after 3 months of routine doctor’s visits, lactation appointments, and weight checks with no one mentioning any concerns. But a requested blood test at his 4-month appointment and a month to wait for results sent me into a spinning spiral of research. I Googled, checked out books from the library, and called whoever had experience with individuals with Down syndrome. I was looking for as much information as possible. I wanted a place where I could go and be welcomed into a family who knew what I was experiencing, but there wasn’t such a place. When looking up Down syndrome and Fort Myers, nothing seemed to click. I was desperate but found nothing except an online group and one family who gave me as much advice over the phone as they could. That satisfied my pangs of hunger for knowledge for a few weeks until one night when I received two separate phone calls. Both my best friend and sister-in-law happened to be watching the nightly news and saw a story about a Down syndrome achievement center. This place, called GiGi’s Playhouse, was being featured, and they were saying it was a place to celebrate individuals with Down syndrome. A place where they could go learn, play, and grow, and where we as parents could connect and share experiences. I was instantly excited to finally find a place like this, and within the next few days was making calls to figure out how to make this happen in our county, city, and community! I knew we needed this here in Fort Myers so that no family felt lost, isolated, or lonely. I wanted a GiGi’s Playhouse so that families and individuals with Down syndrome had a place where they felt welcome, were celebrated, and could learn.

Now, all of our GiGi’s Playhouse families are my go to for support and information. We help each other with therapy options, schooling decisions, and just the ins and outs of daily life! What seemed like a very scary, dark place in the beginning is now a vibrant colorful vision for Emery’s future! I know that once our doors are open, individuals with Down syndrome and their families will have a place that will be like a second home. GiGi’s will be a place that offers free therapeutic and educational programs to help Emery, and so many others, to become the best versions of themselves! Families will sit on our couch, celebrate uniqueness, and create bonds that will last a lifetime. We need this support for our community and know it will change the lives of many loved ones with Down syndrome and their families. I am so proud to have been a part in something that will touch our community on a greater level. This is what GiGi’s Playhouse Fort Myers is all about!

Thank you, Angela, for sharing your story and for your continued work to make this dream a reality!

If you would like to submit your own “Why GiGi’s,” we’d love to hear it and may even include it on the blog!  Send your “Why GiGi’s” to us at fortmyers@gigisplayhouse.org