Community Connections Nov. 2022 Issue – The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

Did you know that GiGi’s Playhouse Indianapolis and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis have been working together since 2018 to change the way the world views Down syndrome and to send a global message of acceptance for all?

492 Volunteer Hours

5 Years

2 Organizations

1 Team

Here is a message from Josh Estes, the Director of Volunteer Services –

“The GiGi’s Playhouse E.P.I.C. program has been a staple of the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience®at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis since 2018.  We are very fortunate!  Once a month, they provide our museum guests with getting started at the various sports areas and encouraging them to do a bit of “sports sampling” throughout their visit.  The Museum staff look forward to this day every month!  This group also served in a “behind-the-scenes” capacity during the height of COVID, by placing masks into plastic bags for our guests to utilize while they safely explore the museum. We could not have done it without them!  Personally, I have really enjoyed getting to know the individuals in the group and hearing about their goals, their future and all the ways that they are serving the community.  I also enjoy their laughter, the high fives and the miles and miles of smiles.  This group is definitely giving our museum guests a unique opportunity that helps us achieve our mission of creating extraordinary learning experiences.  Thank you, GiGi’s Playhouse!” 

When we first began our community connection with The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Josh Estes, the Director of Volunteer Services, welcomed us with open arms! Immediately, we knew that our E.P.I.C. program goals aligned perfectly with the presented opportunity with the museum. E.P.I.C.  stands for (E)mpowering (P)articipants (I)n the (C)ommunity and is a program designed for adult participants. A group of 12 participants along with 3 playhouse volunteers began serving at the museum in many different facets. From cleaning to attending development meetings, a beautiful partnership was born. Throughout the past 5 years, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has provided our group scaffolded and enriching volunteer experiences. View the list below that includes a few ways that E.P.I.C. has volunteered –

Riley Sports Legends Experience – Coaches

Environmental Services – Folding and Cleaning

Visitor Services – Assisting with PPE protocols

Accessibility and Inclusion Working Group – Brainstorming Ideas of Inclusion

In December of 2019, Our E.P.I.C. adults were invited to attend The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis’s Presidents Breakfast! Little did we know, the adults pictured above were nominated for the “Volunteers of the Month” award! Once we returned to our seats, a participant said “I like to volunteer because I get to take care of people instead of people taking care of me.”