adults with Down syndrome
Volunteer Spotlight: Sally Marquis!
Our volunteer spotlight for this month is none other than Sally Marquis! Sally has dedicated hundreds, if not thousands, of hours to support the Hugs and Mugs professional internships and develop the program into what it has become today. Sally is more than an amazing volunteer- she is the backbone of Hugs and Mugs and an…
Read More2019 National Leadership Conference!
Last week, the GiGi’s Playhouse National Leadership Conference took place at the Hyatt in Schaumburg. The conference gathers staff and volunteers from the entire network of GiGi’s Playhouse. There were over 300 attendees from 60 cities and Mexico! Because the Hoffman Playhouse houses the National Office, our interns in the Career Development programs have so many amazing…
Read MoreGiGi U and Prep are Making it Count!
These days in GiGi U and GiGi Prep, our students have been working very hard on their money skills. They especially love when we play Money Uno to practice coin identification. Recently we have been working on adding up enough money to buy an item, or picking out what item to buy with the amount…
Read MoreHugs + Mugs Intern Spotlight | Aubrey
Hugs + Mugs is a café and retail store run by our GiGi U graduates, now referred to as “Interns” along with our support and staff. Each intern will manage different aspects of a real-life retail environment and continue building their career skills. Today, we want to introduce you to one of our amazing Hugs…
Read MoreGiGi U is Doing ALL the Things!
The Summer 2019 session of GiGi U is well underway and boy have we been busy! The past couple weeks, we have been working on improving our money skills. Every Wednesday, Miss Nancy and Miss Martie come in to play math games and we use pretend cash registers to practice counting and buying things. Something…
Read MoreSupport Comes From Everywhere!
The Huntley Fire Department was the first fire department to make at team page for this year’s GiGi’s Playhouse 5K! Some of these amazing firefighters were not even aware of what GiGi’s Playhouse was, so it was great to visit the station with some of our adult interns to show them what we are all…
Read MoreGiGi’s Career Development!
Most people strive for a successful career from the time they are very young. Unfortunately, for those with a developmental disability, the work opportunities are much more slim. According to The Arc, only 15% of people with DD (developmental disabilities) are currently employed and there are three main areas that need improvement. The transition from…
Read MoreThe More, the Merrier!
Everyone has a favorite day of the week. At GiGi University, our favorite day is Wednesday. Why? Because Wednesday is the day that GiGi U and GiGi Prep join as one class, and together, we have a group of fifteen students! What a class! The best part of this day for me, as a teacher,…
Read MoreYou Wanted FIT… You Got It!!
If you’ve every been in the Playhouse on a Wednesday evening, a Friday evening, or a Saturday morning, you’ve probably had an encounter with the amazing GiGiFIT Teens class. These participants have strictly made it part of their weekly routine to be in this class and they won’t miss it for anything! The GiGiFIT curriculum…
Read MoreJanuary Speech Participant Spotlight!
The Amina Grace Speech and Language Program has impacted Paige’s life so much for the better! Having a child with a speech problem is disheartening… all you wish for is that they can communicate to survive! Of course, Paige has had speech growing up: in early education, grammar school, junior high, and finally high school. The…
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