Healthy Meals and Memories!
Met our awesome GiGi's Adult Kitchen volunteer Ana! Hi! My name is Ana Higgins and currently I have the privilege of leading the Gigi’s Kitchen adult classes this summer as part of my dietetic internship. To tell you a little bit about myself, I am from Clarendon Hills, Illinois and...
Thank you RS&H Elevate for elevating our Math Program
Thank you to RS & H Elevate for the grant we received to increase our participation in the Spring GiGi’s Playhouse math program! With the funds, we were able to support more tutors with our online Learned Management System and provide take-home resources for the learners both virtual and in...
The Power of Purposeful Programs!
"GiGi’s to me means two things… 1. Community and 2. Hope. It’s a community for us as parents, to learn from, rejoice with, and even cry with if need be. They understand all the joy and challenges that come with raising our beautiful children! It’s also a community for our...
Community moves together for ACCEPTANCE!
The sun and smiles were shining on June 5th, 2021 when our community came together to celebrate our GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge. This was the first time in over a year that GiGi's had seen some of our participants and their families. From tossing the football with the retired football players...
Meet our new Volunteer Rachel!
We are excited to introduce our new Destination Discovery leader and math tutor Rachel Wartell! Rachael will be entering her junior year of college at the University Of Illinois. Her major is special education and minoring in communication. In her free time Rachel enjoys going to the beach, making s'mores...
Carolyn Crusader’s Crushing Goals!
Carolyn is 5 years old and she is the youngest of our 5 children. Her siblings are Cassandra (26), Jessica (24), Joseph (21) & Christopher (17); needless to say, she is super spoiled and loved!!! It has been while since Carolyn attended programs at GiGi's Playhouse. She had...
Determination and Hard Work: GiGi Career Development Spring Session Celebrates!
Last month we celebrated our virtual career training programs, GiGi Unniversity, GiGi Prep, and GiGi Professional, with a virtual completion ceremony. Students celebrated their accomplishments throughout the Spring Session with interns from Aurora University. Our Students from the E.P.I.C program (Empowered, Participation, Independence, and Community) really enjoyed their Speech sessions...
Together we will reach the top!
Eddie and Caiden are perfect examples of living out GiGi's Playhouse Core Values. Enthusiastic. Best of All. Get It Done. Believe. In Middle and High School Eddie was in special education classes himself. As a student, Eddie often felt limited and never felt challenged. He pushed himself and set high...
Lucy is my “WHY” and Will Forever Be!
Getting a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome is scary. Most obstetricians do not present this diagnosis in a very positive light; my experience was like they were breaking devastating news to me. My husband and I were left feeling frightened, uneducated, and alone. I started to research support groups and...
The Best Part About Volunteering At GiGi’s Playhouse!
GiGi’s Playhouse is powered every day by amazing volunteers. People who have the heart and passion to help change the world, and uplift the lives in their communities. Volunteers like Kelly Micholson, who has been volunteering in our Hugs and Mugs Café this year. Kelly was so excited...
Together We Can Do Great Things!
Gina is a senior in the Social Work program at Aurora University. She is recently making the transition from interning at GiGi’s Playhouse Fox Valley to our Hoffman Estates location! Gina chose GiGi’s Playhouse because she thought the overall goal and purpose was absolutely amazing. She has always wanted to...
What a Blessing to be back!
"What a Blessing it is to be back in the Playhouse" mom Alicia Fox commented after her son Van's first GiGiFIT Toddler class. February 5th we safely launched In -Person programs back in the Playhouse. Families were excited to attend their favorite programs such as Destination Discovery, GiGiFIT Toddler, GiGiFIT...