Best Buddies Can Be Found Anywhere 

In 2023, I attended the Best Buddies Friendship Walk at Elizabethtown College with the Elizabethtown College Dance Team. After leading a workout dance, I explored all the different tables that were set up by various community members and organizations. At some point during the event, a little girl named Bella asked me to play with her. Bella was attending the event with the GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster team. Bella participates in Playhouse programs every week and was performing that day with the GiGi’s Dance team!

We ran around the entire gym, climbed up every single step on the bleachers, and took lots of photo booth pictures together. I had originally planned to stay just for the dance, but I ended up staying the entirety of the event. Little did I know this would be the start of my journey with GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster! 

I began tutoring that summer, and reached out to the Programs Coordinator to see what other ways I could get involved with GiGi’s. We decided to launch GiGiFIT Infant in winter of 2024, which would be my first time leading a program! It was so much fun to use my occupational therapy knowledge during this program. Using knowledge from school and fieldwork rotations, we focused on transitional movements, vestibular/sensory input, and reflex integration during sessions to help facilitate the acquisition of different developmental milestones. With time, patience, and lots of practice, I was able to observe babies sitting up, rolling over, and even crawling for the first time. It was truly amazing to watch these skills develop and strengthen physically at GiGi’s. 

Shortly after that, I decided that I was going to continue school for my Doctorate of Occupational Therapy and needed to select a site for my program. In my mind, there was no better option than to give back to a community that already gave me so much knowledge, experience, and love.

I spent a year developing an animal assisted therapy program for our school-aged children that launched in March 2025. The program was called Kids Club: Animal Assisted Interventions, and it allowed children to engage in tasks that relate to pet care. During this time, participants worked on strengthening social and processing skills such as socialization, habit formation, sequencing, following directions, cause-and-effect scenarios, and so much more! Service and ambassador dogs from Susquehanna Service Dogs joined, offering a hands-on approach to pet care. The goal was to use Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) to increase motivation and engagement in therapy sessions in order to strengthen the outcomes. Bringing AAT to GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster demonstrated the effectiveness that animal presence has on motivating participants. These little friends graduated from the program with an increased awareness of animal safety and proved that they can accomplish tough skills with encouragement, excitement and a little bit of extra confidence!

Recently, I had the pleasure of representing GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster this year at the 2025 Best Buddies Friendship Walk, right alongside Bella and our other amazing friends. It was such a special moment to reflect back on where my journey all began, and I couldn’t help but notice how incredible this community is. Being a part of GiGi’s means that you will always be accepted, loved, welcomed, and valued. I feel this every single day I step in the Playhouse! No matter where I go in life, I will always carry that memory of such a special day.

-Written by Gabby Stawinski

We love Miss Gabby and are so thankful to her for the impact she has made in our GiGi’s community! You are going to make a great Occupational Therapist!