Why GiGi’s – Jessica’s Story

Jessica Hoke – Team Lead 

I thought that I would take a minute to tell you my “why” in wanting to bring a GiGi’s Playhouse to Knoxville.  When we adopted my son as a newborn, we brought home a tiny little baby with Down syndrome and whole lot of questions.  I had never known anyone with Ds and, despite having had 3 other babies, felt like I didn’t know what I was doing.  Everything was so new. A friend of a friend reached out via Facebook to introduce herself and her son with Ds who is just a few months older than my Ben.  She also shared about this amazing place called GiGi’s that was about to open in our town.  We attended the grand opening, and I knew I had found what I needed.  I walked around seeing amazing families who were doing this Ds parenting thing and I could see the love, support, and acceptance they had for one another.  We got involved and enjoyed the LMNOP program, an amazing speech therapy program, the leaps and bounds and destination discovery classes, and countless events.  I could walk in and not feel like I had to explain why my little one was still not crawling, or why I was still having to bottle feed my toddler.  I could relax.  I loved sitting at the playhouse while Ben did speech therapy and conversing with the adult participants who were often there helping staff with office work.  I had never been able to spend time with an adult with Ds, and I loved just being around and listening to their conversations…seeing what life could be for my little boy one day.  I remember being at the playhouse one afternoon for an event and seeing a brand-new Ds mama walk in wide eyed.  I could tell she was so overwhelmed and then I got to watch the staff just love on her and her baby.  I got to be the one to chat with her about all the newborn baby things.  I had become the parent that was there to listen.   As I got involved and attended the yearly galas, I was able to hear how community members were changed by the playhouse.  Kids who were able to volunteer alongside peers with Ds, business owners who made space for adults with Ds in the work place.  I got to see how the whole community is changed by having a GiGi’s playhouse.  Later, when we learned we were moving,  one of the first things I thought about was how disappointed I was that we wouldn’t be close to a GiGi’s.  I was so excited about Ben just getting to be old enough to start the tutoring program and other older kid events.  I want to bring GiGi’s here for my son, but also for all the families I know it can reach.  Having a brick-and-mortar location with weekly programming that the larger community can see and visit is good for our Ds community, it’s good for all of Knoxville.  It’s good for the families that are overwhelmed and just need a place to relax and be loved on a little.   I am so excited to learn about “why” you got excited when I mentioned bringing a GiGi’s to Knoxville….