SOUP-er Volunteer Appreciation Event

We had the opportunity to invite our dedicated volunteers to come to GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster for a volunteer appreciation event on February 15, 2026. We chose to celebrate our SOUP-er volunteers by having soup in the afternoon with them! We provided four different kinds of soup from Zig’s Bakery & Café in Lititz: African Peanut Soup, Italian Wedding Soup, Loaded Baked Potato Soup, and Chicken Corn Noodle Soup. We also provided muffin tins for volunteers to try each of the soups, as well as sides like rolls and quiche. About 25 volunteers gathered at our “SOUP-er Volunteer Appreciation”. It was an event to honor the incredible group of individuals who give their time, energy, and talents to the programs and participants at our Playhouse. It was a chance for us to express our gratitude and celebrate the numerous ways volunteers make a difference in the lives of our participants, their families, and our community. 

Volunteers in Attendance

There was a great range of volunteers in attendance, representing almost all programs and committees at GiGi’s. There were volunteers who have been with us since the start up committee over six years ago, as well as new volunteers that started only three weeks ago! It was exciting for each volunteer to introduce themselves so we could hear where they volunteer, for how long and how they found GiGi’s or got involved.

Soup Thank You Papers

Displayed at the event, you could find soup bowl papers with written messages or decorated by a participant for a specific volunteer or group of volunteers. Throughout the week leading up to the event, participants at each program were encouraged to choose a volunteer that has made an impact on their life that they want to thank. They were assisted to decorate the soup bowl, write a message, or write the volunteer’s name and the participant’s name. This was a unique way to honor some of our specific volunteers. For example, one soup bowl was written to Matt, one of our GiGi’s Kitchen Adult volunteers, from our participant Em T. It said, “Thank you for your helping and helping my friends”. Volunteers were encouraged to take the soup bowl down and take it home with them.

What Soup are you? Quiz Game 

We then played a game together: a personality quiz to find out what soup we were! At the end of the questions, we had a great mix of personality types.  Some of us were beef stew, while others were a spicy soup, and others were more like a broccoli cheddar soup. We could all relate, and felt like the soups did describe us well. Overall, it was evident that when volunteering at GiGi’s, it’s important that we are all different and that we each bring our unique strengths and abilities together to help make the programs purposeful for the participants.  

Sharing #BestOfAll Stories 

After laughing together throughout the game, we gathered to share “Best of All” moments. We shared times we observed our participants do something better than the time they did before, or about their overall success since they’ve been participating in programs at GiGi’s. As volunteers reflected on these moments, it was a special time, and it reminded us of the impact are making on the lives of the participants, as well as the impact they are making on us.

Many volunteers shared Best of All Stories about various participants. One particular adult participant mentioned was Monica and multiple volunteers expressed how they are proud of her. Volunteers shared how when they first met her, they didn’t know she could speak and that she didn’t really like others being close to her or touching her. Through the years, they have watched her open up and become more confident. They described how she now sings karaoke on stage, answers questions and participate in conversations. She also dances with a smile on her face. Some volunteers shared about the first time they received a hug from Monica and how much this meant to them.

Impact 

Kevin, our board president told the group about the impact they are each making and thanked them. Alisha, the Programs and Volunteer Manager, also thanked the volunteers and shared how she is excited to be in this new role, as well as the impact she sees we’re making and how she wants to see it continue and grow together.

Cookies

As a thank you to volunteers, they could choose a special cookie on their way out.  These were created by Kelly, one of our board members, uniquely designed for this event. The cookies were vanilla and chocolate with coffee. Volunteers remarked how delicious the cookies were and how they looked professionally made.

A Heartfelt Thank You 

This event was a nice reminder of the group of volunteers we are blessed to have at GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster. 

Some of the participants and families shared statements about volunteers and expressed their thanks in a video that was shared at the event. In the video, Lily, a school-age participant said “Thank You” to Miss Linda for reading books to her during their tutoring sessions. You can view this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7Jb8xZKBhbM.       

Finally, we’d like to offer a huge thank you to each and every volunteer for your dedication, kindness, and passion. You truly are the heart and soul of our Playhouse, and we’re so grateful for everything you do.

We’re excited to continue this journey with each of you! We look forward to the many more memories we’ll create together and the Best of All moments we will celebrate together! 

As you can see, we are SOUP-er thankful for our volunteers!