#generation G

We are so excited to have 3 new interns on board at GiGi’s Playhouse Fox Valley! It is so great to see our young people so enthusiastic about our mission to change the way the world views Down syndrome. We truly are #strongertogether because of the great work of our volunteers. They are a living model of the generation G daily mindset and action plan to be better every day!

My name is Joey Wagner, I am one of the new interns at GiGi’s Playhouse Fox Valley! I am a current Bachelors of Social Work student at Aurora University. In between my time at the Playhouse and AU I am also a captain of the varsity football team. Much of the reason I came to work with GiGi’s Playhouse was to work with children and to have a better understanding of Down syndrome. I have spent much of my time coaching kids between the ages of two to twelve with All Star Sports Instruction. I thoroughly enjoy the learning and teaching process and always bring a fun, upbeat, and can do attitude each and every day. Ultimately, I am very excited to be apart of GiGi’s Playhouse, work with the kids, and build our community. I will be in the Playhouse Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am to 12pm. I will also be running Fantastic Friends on the first Sunday evening of each month from 6-7:30 PM. Come by and say hello!

Hi guys! I am Ana Diaz, a new intern at Gigi’s Playhouse Fox Valley. I am a student majoring in Social Work and minoring in American Sign Language. I am also fluent in Spanish. The reason I began working with GiGi’s Playhouse is my passion for working with children. GiGi’s is a great place to work with kids and put my trilingual skills to use. After graduating from AU I hope to be able to work in an elementary school as a school social worker and the Playhouse is a fantastic place to understand the teaching and learning process. I am in the Playhouse on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am to 1pm. I am also running an LMNOP program which stands for Language Music N’ Our Peeps!

We are also excited to have Annie, a senior at Oswego High School. She is here as a part of the ICE program (Interrelated Cooperative Education). In this program Annie is able to learn about being in the workforce and gain valuable experiences all before she even leaves high school! Annie became interested in volunteering at GiGi’s Playhouse Fox Valley after being a part of the collaborative PE program at the high school and she so enjoyed working with individuals with Down syndrome that she chose GiGi’s Playhouse as her intern experience! Annie is jumping right in as a literacy tutor and bringing her enthusiasm and get it done attitude Monday-Friday 12-3pm.

Welcome to GiGi’s Playhouse Fox Valley!!!