One Million Voices? It IS possible!

When I think about reaching one million voices, I literally get sick to my stomach thinking, how are we going to make this happen??? It’s impossible! Then I think back to the very first Playhouse and I remember multiple people asking if they could open one. More than one?? I can’t even handle this one, it’s impossible! Then I remember the pit in my stomach when we were asked to open our 5th location! A 5th location!! How can we make that happen?? It’s impossible! We are now working on our 54th location! That fear, that pit in my stomach never goes away and we continue to reach our goals! IT IS POSSIBLE!!

I never like to say, “I cannot do this”, but sometimes I just don’t know how things will happen. I just realized what I mean is that “I cannot do this alone”!

Because of you all, I realized I am never alone! I have all of you and there is nothing we cannot do together! At times when I think this is too much and I feel very alone, one of our amazing participants always seems to pull me back up. Yesterday as I was leaving the Playhouse, feeling a bit overwhelmed with all that is going on, Daniel came chasing after and handed this to me.

At that moment, I realized Daniel can’t do this alone either. GiGi’s gives him a voice and a platform! The Star 105.5 that he refers to in his drawing was the radio station he was on last week with GiGi’s!! They gave him a voice!

When I think about a voice, I am reminded of incredible, inspirational moments at Playhouse openings that I have been to across the country. It is so beautiful! Individuals with Down syndrome, siblings, and parents stand up and say how GiGi’s gives them a voice.  I honestly cannot write that without my eyes welling up. You truly have no idea what GiGi’s means to so many people and how YOUR voice is giving them a voice!

Daniel, GiGi, and every person in this world with Down syndrome (and without) deserve respect, acceptance, generosity & kindness! Will you show the Down syndrome community you stand with them?

October is Down Syndrome Awareness/Acceptance Month and we have launched an international campaign called #GenerationG – One Million VOICES! In 30 days, we need one million people to make the Generation G Promise online, post it on social media, and encourage others to do the same.

With the voices of one million people, we can show how good always outweighs the bad! Generation G is simply a conscious decision to be better- be accepting, be generous, be kind. That’s it. A message we could all use right now.

THANK YOU for making the promise, posting your pictures, sharing this post and challenging your friends and family to be Generation G! #wegotthis!

-Nancy Gianni