Volunteer Spotlight- Mary

Volunteer Spotlight- Mary Getting to Know Program Leader for GiGi’s Kitchen My name is Mary O’Callaghan, I am 23 years old and I am a graduate student at Elmhurst University in the Masters of Occupational Therapy program! I love to be creative, whether it is in the kitchen making new recipes for dinner or baking…

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Volunteer Spotlight- Lexi

Volunteer Spotlight- Lexi Getting to Know Program Leader from GiGi’s Kitchen Hello everyone! My name is Lexi, I am a 23 year old grad student in Elmhurst University’s Master of Occupational Therapy program. A fun fact about me is that I prefer the summer but I also love snowboarding. I am most looking forward connecting…

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Volunteer Spotlight- Kendall

Volunteer Spotlight- Kendall Getting to Know Program Leader for GiGi’s Kitchen My name is Kendall Brock, I am a Master of Occupational Therapy Student at Elmhurst University, and I love to make pizza! I am looking forward to meeting the participants and Gigi’s Playhouse and getting the opportunity to work in the kitchen with them!…

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Volunteer Spotlight- Annabel

Volunteer Spotlight- Annabel Getting to Know Program Leader for GiGi’s  Kitchen I am a master’s of occupational therapy student at Elmhurst University. I moved to Chicago last fall and am originally from a small town in Pennsylvania. I’m looking forward to working with GiGi’s Playhouse and seeing how occupational therapy can be beneficial in GiGi’s…

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Volunteer Spotlight- Amanda

Volunteer Spotlight- Amanda Getting to Know Program Leader for GiGi’s Kitchen My name is Amanda Lopez, and I am a graduate student at Elmhurst University in the Masters of Occupational Therapy Program. Something fun about me is that I love to explore the city of Chicago with friends, as there is always something new to…

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12th day of Fitness

12th day of Fitness- Over Unders Goal of movement- the goal of the over unders is to teach the body how to interpret a large influx of fluid movement in the inner ear.  Tipping the head forward and tipping the head backward cause the largest amount of fluid to move inside the inner ear’s vestibular…

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11th day of Fitness

11th day of Fitness- Tall kneel Goal of movement- the goal of the tall kneeling posture is to increase input (joint proprioception) at the knees, and increase abdominal and gluteal activation in the tall kneeling positon.  It is a great position to pair with other movements to increase abdominal activation (pulling in the abdominal muscles)…

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10th day of Fitness

10th day of Fitness- Gluteal Bridge Goal of movement- the goal of the gluteal bridge is to directly activate the gluteal muscles to achieve a neutral hip extension.  It is also one of the easiest positions to feel abdominal activation (pulling in the abdominal muscles), achieve gluteal activation, and use lateral hip muscles to stabilize…

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9th day of Fitness

9th day of Fitness- Rotational turns Goal of movement- the goal of rotational turns is to coordinate the action of the eye muscles with the movement of the head in space. This movement teaches visual-vestibular coordination and helps the individual to have better balance while he or she is in motion.  It is a great…

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8th day of Fitness

8th day of Fitness- March series Goal of movement- the goal of the marching movement is to improve hip strength with side to side weightshift, improve balance with the signle leg weightshift, improve sequencing with the alternating pattern to midline, and improve general strength through the trunk, core and gluteals. Start with the first progression,…

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