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A word from the Chief Belief Officer, Nancy Gianni

Hello GiGi’s Change Makers!

Our voice is growing STRONGER! Last month, as GiGi and I were getting ready for Christmas, I heard some exciting news: the Governor of New York signed the Down Syndrome Awareness Bill into law! This much-needed bill is a HUGE WIN, but what’s just as exciting is who helped spearhead the bill GiGi's Playhouse Buffalo 

Emily Mondschein, the Executive Director of our Buffalo Playhouse, met with a New York assembly member and senator to explain why this bill was needed. Meanwhile, our Southern Tier, Rochester, and Syracuse Playhouses wrote letters to the governor advocating for the bill! Thanks to these Playhouses, soon-to-be parents in New York who receive a prenatal diagnosis will no longer receive outdated and false information about Down syndrome!  

But the strength of our voice didn’t stop there! In Ohio, our Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Canton Playhouses worked with the Ohio Department of Health, and now, GiGi’s Playhouse has been added to Ohio’s Down Syndrome Fact Sheet! This means that every Ohio family welcoming a beautiful baby with Down syndrome will know about GiGi’s Playhouse and our FREE programs! 

I’m honestly amazed by the collective strength of this network to make sure our families will never be alone! When I opened the first Playhouse in 2003, I never dreamed that we’d have Playhouses all across the country changing policy, local laws and giving a VOICE to this incredible population! 

Please take a moment to read our January newsletter and learn about what GiGi’s has coming in 2025! Together, our network of game-changers is making an incredible impact, and you’re helping us do it! Whether you’re a volunteer, family, or donor, you’re helping the collective voice of GiGi’s grow stronger, and I couldn’t be more grateful! 

XOXO,
Nancy and GiGi

*Read about New York’s Down Syndrome Awareness Bill here and read about GiGi’s Playhouse getting added to Ohio’s Down Syndrome Fact Sheet here!

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Volunteer in the new year! Help GiGi’s end the volunteer crisis

Did you know GiGi’s Playhouse provided over 340,000 hours of FREE programming in 2024?!?

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As impressive as this number is, we plan to provide even more programming in 2025... but we need your help. As a 99% volunteer-run organization, our Playhouses rely on volunteers. Volunteers help our participants experience our FREE educational, therapeutic, and career-development programs and the life-changing impacts that come with them.

But challenges lie ahead. Like all charitable organizations, GiGi’s is experiencing a dire shortage of volunteers, but we’re working to overcome this obstacle. Through technology, we’ve made volunteering more convenient than ever. Our automated and innovative Learning Management System (LMS) allows volunteers to complete our training from the comfort of their homes! On top of that, our volunteers have the option of attending in person or virtually for as little as an hour a week. Making an impact has never been this easy!

...So, what are you waiting for? Help us end the volunteer shortage. Volunteer in the new year! Learn more here!

The GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge is back for 2025!

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Last year, this peer-to-peer fundraiser featured over 14,500 participants and raised $2.4 million for GiGi’s Playhouse. This year, it will be even BIGGER! Happening at all our Playhouses across the country, the GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge is a 5k fun run, 1-mile walk, or other fitness format that brings people together to raise awareness and support the challenges in the Down syndrome community. Our goal is to raise $2.75 million in 2025! 

The money we raise from the GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge directly funds the 340,000 hours of FREE programming we provide annually! But the GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge is more than a fundraiser; our events allow entire communities to unite with the Down syndrome community to embrace differences, foster inclusivity, and create a more ACCEPTING world! 

Learn how you can participate and become a GFAC champion in 2025 here! 

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A special thanks to two of our National GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge Sponsors: Accurate Personnel and Sunbelt Rentals! They’re helping spread acceptance and inclusivity across all our GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge events, and we couldn’t be more grateful! 

If you’re a local business, corporation, church, or community group, we need your help! Join one of our GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge Events and help us foster a more accepting world! Learn about sponsorship opportunities here

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Making an impact beyond our Playhouse walls

Good schools. Green spaces. Public parks. All communities need several elements to thrive, and at GiGi’s Playhouse, we pride ourselves on being one of those elements! Our Playhouses help ENTIRE communities foster acceptance and inclusion.

This idea was on display recently when the team from our Chicago Playhouse visited some incredible first graders at North Park Elementary. In addition to teaching this class about intellectual disabilities, our staff also talked with them about how they can be #GenerationG and be generous, kind, and accepting!

The students were not only enthusiastic during the visit, but they’re also excited to come to our Chicago Playhouse in March to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day!

We’re so proud of our Chicago Playhouse for stepping out into their community and teaching the next generation of change-makers about ACCEPTANCE! Want to help your local school be generous, accepting, and kind? Check out our #GenerationG school tools!

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Mark your calendars! GiGi’s Educator Symposium is coming!

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And you don’t want to miss it! Taking place Saturday, March 8, our FREE online symposium provides teachers, paraprofessionals, therapists, parents, grandparents, and more with proven strategies to effectively teach individuals with Down syndrome. Plus, we offer FREE continuing education credits! EVERYONE benefits from our online symposium.

Developing social skills is hard. We’re here to help!

Contrary to popular belief, patience isn’t only a virtue; it’s a skill. At Leaps & Bounds, a program aimed at young learners ages 3-5, we teach vital social and emotional skills like patience via turn-taking and small group participation.

Ryan, a participant at our Detroit Playhouse, is proof of Leaps & Bounds’ effectiveness. Ryan is typically quiet but showed incredible emotional attunement during a recent class. As his friends took turns marking a calendar, Ryan would say “good job” and clap when someone put their card in the right spot. Conversely, if someone was having a hard time, Ryan offered words of encouragement!

We’re so thrilled that Leaps & Bounds is helping lay the groundwork for Ryan’s positivity, self-expression, and social skills, and we look forward to watching him grow!

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Harry Moon Books

‘GiGi’s Journey’ set to release in February!

Have you heard?!? GiGi’s Playhouse is partnering with Harry Moon Books for a new collaborative book entitled ‘GiGi’s Journey!’

Set to launch in February, ‘GiGi’s Journey’ will introduce GiGi, a character with Down syndrome, as a main character into the world of Harry Moon, the beloved children’s series!

The power of this partnership goes beyond entertainment. This first-of-its-kind book will present a heartwarming story of friendship, bravery, and the beauty of embracing individual differences. ‘GiGi’s Journey’ will allow children worldwide to gain meaningful exposure to Down syndrome and GiGi’s Playhouse, ultimately helping foster a more inclusive and ACCEPTING world!

Read more about this exciting partnership here!

Patient and willing to teach? There’s a place for you at GiGi’s!

We all tend to underestimate ourselves. At GiGi’s, our volunteers are no different. Potential volunteers often believe that they do not have the expertise to lead a one-on-one or group class, but we provide our volunteers with everything they need to make an impact!

Kay, a longtime volunteer at GiGi’s Playhouse Des Moines, illustrates this. Before volunteering in GiGi's Kitchen, Kay didn’t consider herself much of a cook, but Kay has a willingness to teach, and sometimes, that’s all you need! Through patiently teaching measuring skills, safe food preparation, and food serving, Kay has made an impact on our participants, and she’s found it just as rewarding. Kay says helping at GiGi’s has been the best volunteer experience she can imagine!

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Want an experience as rewarding as Kay’s? Learn how you can volunteer at GiGi’s here!

Need some inspiration to start your year?

Check out our second edition of #GenerationG Magazine! Full of incredible stories of acceptance, #GenerationG magazine focuses on how capable the disability community is! It’s an inspiring read that’s perfect for your local doctor, dentist, or school!

Read the digital version here and click here to order hard copies!

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Check out the latest from our blog

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January 2025 Newsletter

GiGi’s Playhouse January 2025 Newsletter celebrates the organization’s immense impact on the Down syndrome community through inspiring stories, impactful programs, and legislative successes. Highlights include the passage of the Down Syndrome Awareness Bill in New York, the addition of GiGi’s Playhouse to Ohio’s Down Syndrome Fact Sheet, and a call to action to end the volunteer crisis. Join us in 2025 for more exciting events like the GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge and the Educator Symposium. Discover how GiGi’s Playhouse fosters acceptance, inclusion, and community growth.

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Changing the conversation: GiGi’s Playhouse educates and advocates 

Sometimes, the smallest interactions spark the most meaningful change.  Last month, Fox News published a heartwarming article about the joys and challenges of raising a child with Down syndrome. The piece was uplifting and inspiring — exactly the kind of representation the Down syndrome community deserves.  But there was a slight problem. The article’s headline…

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Changing the Game: NFL Players Support GiGi’s Playhouse for ‘My Cause My Cleats’

Sometimes, exposure makes all the difference. This year, as NFL fans fought through their food comas to watch their favorite team during Thanksgiving weekend, many saw special cleats. These cleats didn’t have “Nike,” “Adidas,” or “Jordan” etched on the side; instead, they had a different organization scribbled across them: GiGi’s Playhouse. As part of the…

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