Posts by Liz Kepniss
What I Wish I Told My Doctor
GiGi’s Playhouse Hillsborough release of a brief but very powerful video What I Wish I Told My Doctor, produced to promote Down syndrome acceptance. The clip features Playhouse mom and board member Melissa, who speaks of the trials and hardship she faced when, at 18 weeks of pregnancy, it was discovered that her child likely…
Read MoreBringing Our Love for Karate to GiGi’s
by Brody and Luke Bouziotis About three years ago, we began volunteering at GiGi’s Playhouse because we needed to complete community service hours for Boy Scouts. Since we had just earned our Black Belts in Tae Kwon Do, we decided to sign up to volunteer at the program named Karate Kickers. The program leader at…
Read MoreThank You Mia, Lily, Jessica, Luke and Brody!
Closing the doors for in-person programming due to COVID-19 was a necessary decision for the safety of our program participants and volunteers. GiGi’s Playhouse quickly leapt into action and created GiGi’s at Home. I was amazed by the number of volunteers who stepped up to create content and lead live programs. Within days of suspending…
Read More1:1 with GiGi’s Playhouse Hillsborough Board President Colin McMullen
Although we have had to close our physical doors, suspend in-person programming, and cancel important events due to COVID-19, GiGi’s Playhouse Hillsborough still has a lot going on and much to be hopeful about, including the history-making Virtual Step to Accept Across America event coming up on Saturday, June 6. We recently spoke with our…
Read MoreThank You for Your Support!
These are unsure times for everyone. It seems as if the whole world is on hold during the pandemic. In the midst of all the change, we at GiGi’s Playhouse Hillsborough have been fortunate to see that some things remain constant: good people continue to do good, and our surrounding community is overflowing with individuals…
Read MoreWhat’s Your Why? with Youth Board President Amanda Williams
In this blog, we go 1:1 with GiGi’s Hillsborough Youth Board President Amanda Williams, who is a senior at the Academy of Health and Medical Science at Somerset County Votech High School. It was great to catch up with Amanda about her role as President and what our Youth Board is up to! Q: Why…
Read MoreA Day in the Life of a Parent Homeschooling
GiGi’s Playhouse Hillsborough Parent and Board Secretary Andrea Maio shares her adventures in homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic. How to survive home-schooling, please don’t give up your loved one with Down syndrome needs you more than ever! Day 1: 8:00 am= How difficult would this be? Let me go over the homework folder (100 papers?)…
Read More1:1 with Gala Chair Catherine Payne
On the blog this week….we sat down to interview GiGi’s Playhouse Hillsborough 2020 Gala Chair Catherine Payne to check in on Gala preparations and see what we can expect this year. As you may know, the Gala is our largest and most important annual fundraiser, enabling us to continue offering FREE educational, career-development, social, and…
Read MoreMarch Programming & Events
The March calendar at GiGi’s Playhouse Hillsborough is packed with special events and purposeful programming! Programs at GiGi’s Playhouse offer foundational learning opportunities for individuals with Down syndrome, their families and the community. We continue to ask program participants to RSVP for all programs so that program leaders can accurately prepare. Special Events St. Patrick’s…
Read MoreWhy I Tutor
by Kathy Fulham My introduction to GiGi’s was definitely different than many other volunteers, who oftentimes are relatives or friends of participants. Although I live in a different town and had never heard of GiGi’s back then, there was a precious part of my family history that, unbeknownst to me, connected me to it. I…
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