GiGi’s Playhouse Fort Wayne Honored by National Organization

GiGi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Centers announced eight prestigious awards at its 2020 National Leadership Conference, held virtually from Wednesday, Nov. 4 to Saturday, Nov. 7. Nearly 500 people from 60 GiGi’s Playhouse locations and startups in the United States and Mexico joined the conference, which boasted a wide-ranging series of speakers and breakout sessions.

For the award ceremony, top Playhouses, volunteers and staff are honored for their selfless service to their respective communities. The Core Value Award for Believe is given to a Playhouse that has stepped outside its comfort zone and has a presumption of success. This year’s Believe Award winner is GiGi’s Playhouse Fort Wayne.

“The GiGi’s Playhouse Fort Wayne team was definitely forced to step outside its comfort zone after having to close its doors due to COVID-19 and after losing a long-time staff member,” founder and Chief Belief Officer Nancy Gianni said. “Amid these challenges, this team swiftly pulled things together to take both its processes and staffing to the next level.”

GiGi’s Playhouse Fort Wayne also led the charge within the network to safely re-open this summer following the pandemic shutdown.

Other Playhouses receiving awards include Denver, Madison, Nashville, Indianapolis, the Twin Cities, Wausau and Deerfield. In total, GiGi’s Playhouse currently operates 50 Playhouses worldwide with 10 startup locations and inquiries to open 200 more worldwide.