Kindness, the Generation G Way.

Kindness is a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern for others. It is known as a virtue, and recognized as a value in many cultures and religions. Aristotle, in Book II of his “Rhetoric”, defines it as “helpfulness towards someone in need, not in return for anything, nor for the advantage of the helper himself, but for that of the person helped”.

GiGi’s Playhouse’s across the country run on heavy doses of kindness. Volunteers, parents, participants, friends, donors……all putting kindness into action. Be sure to read to the end for our January giveaway details.

Abigail is a fierce advocate for her sister Grace (who is 4 years old and has Down syndrome) and all individuals with special needs. She absolutely loves volunteering at GiGi’s when ever possible, especially if it means she can hold babies with Down syndrome. Due to her love of and belief in the mission of GiGi’s the only thing she wanted for Christmas was to raise money to donate to GiGi’s Playhouse Sugar Land.  Abigail’s  Christmas wish was realizing as she did in fact raise the $1,000 she was aiming for and on Christmas morning unwrapped the present which contained the donor balloon that would go on the wall at GiGi’s Playhouse (she had no idea the balloon had already been made).  Abigail held her own run-a-thon to raise money, which she faithfully completed running the 40 miles she had committed to run before Christmas, by squeezing 7 miles in on Christmas Eve with Kristi.  Abigail also sold items around the house and donated her own Christmas money. She literally raised $1,000 almost to the dollar! We couldn’t be more grateful for the support of friends, family and our community.  Thank you Abigail for being kind! You are Generation G! 

On Thursday,  January 19, 2017 a large group of students came to GiGi’s Tinley Park from Central Middle School (School District 146). They brought four boxes of items they had collected for the Playhouse AND they also cleaned EVERY room in the Playhouse!! We were SO grateful and appreciative of all of their hard work! These students exemplified what GenerationG is all about! Accepting. Generous. Kind.

GiGi’s Playhouse Fort Wayne GiGi U student, Cameron was the Touch Math superstar in our class and always jumps at the chance to help a friend that was still developing mastery of Touch Math.  After this photo was taken, Mark completed his first row of Touch Math independently! Congratulations Mark & thank you Cameron for helping others give their #bestofall! You are a fantastic example of Kindess!

Recently GiGi’s Playhouse Chicago received a note from a former volunteer – “I work in home health with seniors and today met a client for the first time, “Rose.”  As I was assessing her safety with removing clothes from her closet, she proudly showed me a basket at the bottom of her closet filled with trucks, Legos, and other toys.  Rose shared with me that her son, age 60, has Down syndrome and that when he comes to visit he enjoys playing with his toys.  She went on to tell me how when he was born the hospital suggested she “put him away and forget she ever had him,” which despite being a common practice at the time was not acceptable to her and her family. She spoke so fondly of raising her son and how kind and big-hearted he is.”  Rose,  is trailblazer! Rose let kindness, compassion and a mothers love lead her to raise her son. She saw that he was more than a diagnosis.  Rose we are all thankful for your amazing action of kindness.

During GiGi U classes we get to witness kindness in it’s purest form.  Jenny and Alexa are  here working together, Jenny offers support and encouragement.  As Jenny’s mother said “she has always been the one receiving the help and to see her helping her fellow students is absolutely amazing!”

GiGi’s Playhouse Raleigh has a volunteer with Down syndrome, Bobby (hes 55 and their oldest participant). Bobby volunteers with a lot of their  younger programs. During each program he goes above and beyond to encourage their participants but also demonstrates what they should be doing.  It makes him so proud to be a leader as one of his goals at the Playhouse is to help the “youngins” with learning to play and have fun. “It warms our soul to see Bobby’s confidence as a leader and the joy in his heart when the younger children grab his hand during the obstacle course or show him their craft they are so proud of.”  Bobby we are all very thankful for your kindness and good example! Thank you for helping all our little friends be their #bestofall. Keep up the great work sir!

These little stories are just the tip of the iceberg! We know that kindness big and small is happening everyday all day around the world and we want to hear from you!

GIVEAWAY!

We want to give one lucky winner our featured LOVE mug!  Entering is simple!

1- Leave us a comment here (or on Facebook) about a act of kindness you have given or received.

2- To earn an extra entry, share this blog post & leave us a comment that you have shared (due to Facebook privacy settings we can not see all shares, so we do not want to miss you!)

3- Winner will be randomly drawn on Monday, January 30th

This Kiss (hershey) filled mug is our January Special of the month and you can go snag yours for $7.00 OFF! When shopping online be sure to use code WGN21 to receive your discount.  See all the great products HERE

Thank you all for helping us spread some kindness! Good luck!

educate.inspire.believe.