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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 a hard time with different…
Read MoreDetermination 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 with Dr. Jay and doing…
Read MoreTogether 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 expectations for himself. Now a…
Read MoreLucy 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 immediately found GiGi’s Playhouse. From…
Read MoreWhat 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 Kids, and LMNOP. “Dominic is…
Read MoreLove and Literacy
Marcia Sterenberg knew how important GiGi’s was to Jeremy and their family. She often commented that she thought GiGi’s was an integral part of Jeremy’s achievement and helping him reach his goals and potential. She loved the motto of GiGi’s Playhouse: Educate. Inspire. Believe. Marcia, a retired teacher, believed that literacy was very important in…
Read MoreDaren had many super powers, the ability to love genuinely was one of his strongest powers.
Daren Sean Zons 3/28/78-9/24/2020 Daren passed away peacefully on September 24, 2020 with his loving mother by his side. Daren is survived by his mother, Jane Zons, his sister Kristin (Chuck) Strauss, his brother Derek (Jaci) Zons, his nephew Karl (Angie) Reinke,…
Read MoreOur Lovely Ladies in LMNOP!
One of our favorite FREE purposeful programs at GiGi’s is LMNOP, which stands for language, music, ‘n our peeps!! LMNOP is an interactive and engaging program designed to guide parents and young children (ages 0-3) through learning basic sign language and other forms of communication while using music and language-based activities. Moreover, it is a…
Read MoreGiGiFEST Turns Sweet 16!
The 2019 version of GiGi Fest was a smashing success! The weather was perfect and the energy was contagious! So many families from the Chicagoland area came out to celebrate the 16th birthday of GiGi’s Playhouse and it was as sweet as ever! There was delicious food from Garibaldi’s, lots of activities and crafts, the…
Read MoreGiGi’s means so much…
GiGi’s Playhouse means so much to our family… I’ll never ever forget taking our son to the Playhouse for the first time… for weeks beforehand, I would sit in my car in the parking lot with my son and just stare at the GiGi’s Playhouse sign… I knew that once we walked in, Down syndrome…
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