Building More Confident and Qualified Health Professionals

Our commitment to bringing purposeful programs at no cost to our families remains strong, and we have grown to provide an equally beneficial opportunity for future health professionals to gain hands-on experience working with individuals with a diagnosis.

• Trine University Department of Physical Therapy leads Friends, Fun, and Fitness. A fitness program for our teenagers.
• Trine University Department of Occupational Therapy will be leading our first-ever GiGiFIT Infant class this spring.
• Purdue Fort Wayne Communication Science and Disorders Department has grown to not only provide one-on-one and group speech therapy but also leads our language enrichment program for our babies and toddlers.
• Indiana University Fort Wayne School of Nursing had over 60 nursing students assist with a very successful Teddy Bear Clinic and will continue to provide Teddy Bear Clinics in 2025.
• Indiana University Fort Wayne School of Dentistry will be hosting Mock Dental Clinics in February and March 2025.
• Huntington University Department of Occupational Therapy leads our Busy Hands, Bigger Plans program. A program that disguises OT as fun.
• Manchester University Department of Physical Therapy will be hosting a carnival for our teens and adults on April 17th.
• Manchester University Department of Occupational Therapy will be leading GiGiFIT Toddlers in 2025.
• University of Saint Francis nursing students spend hours at GiGi’s Playhouse each semester gaining more understanding of Down syndrome and other diagnoses. They also host our GiGi U students in their mock clinic.

The impact that these opportunities have made and continue to have on future medical professionals is changing lives. PFW has students putting their experience at GiGi’s Playhouse on their graduate applications, one student putting GiGi’s Playhouse as the reason she chose PFW. The IU nursing students all gained more empathy, understanding, and skillsets during their time helping with the Teddy Bear Clinic. We are honored that our local universities see the value and really push for more hands-on experiences working with individuals with disabilities and their caregivers.