Programming with a Purpose: Down Syndrome and Autism
Our Playhouse has been lucky enough to have a dedicated group of volunteers that developed programming for individuals with a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder, or other sensory processing disorder. Dynamic Duals, a GiGi’s Playhouse-Madison piloted program, is a monthly program designed specifically for families and...
Cheers to a Successful Summer!
Summer Recap We have so much to be proud of this summer! GiGi's Madison welcomed 10 New Families and over 100 Returning Families during our last three months of programming. We're serving more families, running more programs, and celebrating more 'Best of All' moments than ever before. During our Summer...
Welcoming our newest board member- Sarah Berndt
Sarah Berndt- Board Member We are thrilled to announce that Sarah Berndt has joined our Board of Directors! Sarah is an active Playhouse mom who attends multiple programs with her daughter, Addi. Sarah and her family business are also key sponsors of our annual Gala. With Sarah's business and...
Self-Advocate Blog Inspiration
Blog Post by Self- Advocate Committee Co-Leader, Maya Greengus You are probably going to say these are jelly beans and ask what’s important about that. It’s more than two candies sitting on a desk. The colors signifies the point of what I’m writing about. Blue and yellow means to...
Volunteer Spotlight: A Fantastic Family
Fantastic Friends is a long-standing signature program offered at GiGi’s Playhouse Madison. Week to week this program offers a fun, purposeful social gathering for adults with Down syndrome, their peers, and community. This summer our Fantastic Friends group has been led by the incredible volunteer duo of Lottie and Lexi,...
Fitness Fun at the Playhouse
This Summer we kicked off our first in-person Teen & Adult Fitness program called GiGiFIT at our Madison Playhouse. GiGiFIT programs combine physical therapy with a strong fitness focus and goal of success and improved movement. With collaboration from Physical Therapists, we were able to design a curriculum that works...
Introducing Board Member- Jacob Donohue
Board Member- Jacob Donohue Board Member- Jacob Donohue Jacob Donohue has been a part of our Board of Directors since January 2022. He is a Store Director at Festival Foods and currently oversees their downtown Madison location. He has worked for Festival for 15 years and...
Thank you to Julie Byrnes
Inspiring Leadership Julie Byrnes just completed her term as our Board President but that is just part of how she's contributed to our Playhouse in the past four years. Julie is a Speech-Language Pathologist and learned about GiGi's when our past Board President, Bill Henry, randomly connected with her on...
Introducing our New Executive Board
Incredible Leadership= Incredible Playhouse Our Playhouse is 99% volunteer run and some of our most active and impactful volunteers are our Board of Directors! At our June Board meeting elections were held for the 2022-2024 term and we are pleased to announce our new Executive Board. Kimberly Arndt was our...
Celebrating Those Who Are Uncelebrated
A Tribute to Evelyn Charlotte Peters January 12, 1914- February 18, 1931 Cindy Hasse with one of the quilts she created using the block from the early 1900's In May 2022, Cindy Hasse contacted the Playhouse to see if we would be interested in some quilts...
Welcome to our Program and Volunteer Manager!
Welcoming a new staff member! After an extensive search to fill this very important role, we are thrilled to introduce our new Program and Volunteer Manager, Courtney Gamer. Courtney graduated from the University of Wisconsin- Madison in 2020 and has broad experience in Education, Administrative Operations and Environmental...
Go FORE It Golf Outing
Our 2nd annual Go FORE It Golf Outing is quickly approaching and we don't want you to miss it! Join us on Monday, August 1st at the beautiful Lake Windsor County Club for a day of fun and inspiration. Every dollar we raise goes towards providing FREE educational, therapeutic...