Hello GiGi’s Believers!

This monthly correspondence goes out to the entire GiGi’s Playhouse Network. You are part of an elite army of game-changers! This email is designed to alert you to national and international Down syndrome news, crisis in the Ds community, program impacts, and ways to leverage your voice so we can amplify the voices of our amazing individuals with Down syndrome! We must create a more accepting and respectful world for people of all abilities. I know that together, with your help, we can do this! 

GiGi’s is starting 2024 at the Super Bowl! If you are lucky enough to go, you will see our ad in the Official NFL Souvenir Program! If not, copies will be available on NFL.com and in national bookstores after the game. The changes we need to see will not happen in our safe GiGi’s bubble. We must venture out and show the world the true potential of individuals with Down syndrome! What better place than at the Super Bowl? 

As GiGi’s continues to grow by 31% a year, we must also grow our voices! I am proud to say that in 2023, we have increased our social media reach by over 1000%! Yet, we are still being left behind in DEI, jobs, housing, and more. However, we are also being celebrated in places we never have before!      

Let’s use this platform that YOU helped us build for change!! Our next GiGi’s Playhouse opening will be in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 9, 2024!

Happy 2024!!

Love

Grab a glimpse of this powerful video featuring Mike Cirigliano, Board President at GiGi’s Playhouse Long Island, and Vanessa Zarro, parent of a participant named Nico.  Vanessa shared her experience when her doctor advised her to terminate her pregnancy due to Down syndrome, and another doctor supported her decision to keep the baby. GiGi’s Playhouse, with free programs and community support, became a crucial resource for Vanessa and Nico.

Mike shares, “As a GiGi’s volunteer one of the most popular questions I get is ‘Do you have a child with Down syndrome?’ My answer obviously is no. Walking into the Playhouse with my own kids, who participate in the programs, changed my view and my life.” 

The GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge is a physical and social movement aimed at creating a more accepting world for all! Since its inception in 2021, this movement has transcended expectations, uniting tens of thousands of people at events nationwide while successfully raising nearly $6 million to date! This flood of awareness and funds has played a pivotal role in enabling us to offer our life-changing programs completely free of charge, empowering participants from GiGi’s Playhouse to navigate the world with confidence.  

Yet, the question still lingers: Is the world ready for them?  

What more can the rest of the world do? One answer lies in our collective effort to expand the GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge within YOUR community. These events go beyond mere fundraisers; they serve as a platform for communities worldwide to showcase diversity, embrace differences, and champion acceptance!  

Discover more about the GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge or seize the opportunity to participate in an upcoming event by clicking here. Join us in changing lives by creating a more inclusive world for everyone!

GiGi’s Playhouse Sacramento welcomed the Sacramento Kings NBA star Domantas Sabonis to their Destination Discovery Holiday Party this past December! The 3-time NBA All-Star joined in with participants and their families, playing games, decorating holiday cookies, and hearing their stories! Families immediately felt Sabonis’ genuine respect and appreciation during his visit, with one participant saying, “I really think Sabonis is a great guy!”

Meanwhile, in the NFL, nearly 1,100 current players are participating this season in “My Cause My Cleats,” which just kicked off its seventh year. We will recognize Dee Delaney and Deven Thompkins from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at our national Gala in February for their support of GiGi’s Playhouse and Down syndrome.  

In all, dozens of professional athletes across multiple sports have chosen to support GiGi’s with their time and dollars. They are excited to join #GenerationG, a worldwide movement that goes beyond Down syndrome, and are advocating global acceptance for all. Throughout 2024, we will continue introducing athletes to the #Generation G lifestyle at every level!

If you are connected to professional athletes and want to help us spread the message of global acceptance for all, please contact us at [email protected]

Like all Playhouses, GiGi’s Playhouse Mexico was built on blood, sweat, and tears! Ten years ago, they opened the first international Playhouse in Queretaro. Families travel long distances by bus, sometimes for over two hours, to get the free, critical therapy for their child. The Playhouse has been packed with families ever since that opening day.

In 2023, a second Mexico location was added in San Juan del Rio! These two locations are also working to support people in other Spanish-speaking countries who desperately need our help. This is truly a gift from God! We are beyond grateful that this AMAZING team is now helping scale our programs and resources to help other Spanish-speaking countries throughout Central and South America.

History was made this month in Spain as constituents elected the first individual with Down syndrome to parliament! Mar Galceran, aged 45, is a dedicated political figure who has been committed to dismantling barriers for individuals with disabilities. Her triumph clearly reflected the decades she had spent working to advance the status of people with Down’s syndrome in Spain and is a leading exemplar of real inclusion coming to fruition. 

Although Mar has stated that she was very happy that “society is starting to see that people with Downs syndrome have a lot to contribute,” she has also urged that she wants “people to see me as a person, not just for my disability.”

Society is starting to see that people with Down syndrome have a lot to contribute. Our advocacy today can feel like a long and windy road. Individuals like Mar continue to show the rest of the world what individuals with Down syndrome are capable of!

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