Building Dreams Together: Our $4 Million Campaign to Create a Space as Limitless as Our Community

Building Dreams Together for the Down syndrome Community!

👉 VISIT OUR CAMPAIGN PAGE to learn more about the project and how you can get involved!

Something big is happening. ✨

Right now, we’re laying the foundation, both literally and figuratively, for the future of GiGi’s Playhouse Madison. We’re dreaming bigger, reaching higher, and inviting our entire community to be part of something transformational. Welcome to our Build Campaign, a bold $4 million effort to create a forever home that reflects the limitless potential of our participants and the deep commitment of our supporters.

We’re already off to a powerful start. Thanks to an extraordinary $1 million matching gift from a generous local family foundation and 15 other heartfelt contributions, we’ve already raised $1.8 million!

Here’s how the match works: For every $2 we raise, we unlock $1 from the match, up to $1 million. That means when we raise $2 million, we receive the full $1 million gift. This is an incredible opportunity to triple the impact of your contribution and help us cross major milestones faster.

But this isn’t just about numbers. It’s about impact. And we want you to be part of it.

Our Future Home: A Space Designed to Empower

Located at 2393 Botanical Drive in Fitchburg, right at the corner of Syene and Lacy Road, our future 8,000 sq ft Playhouse will sit proudly on land we will own, with our own parking lot, room to grow, and spaces built with care, heart, and purpose.

Here’s what’s coming:

• Expanded learning labs and offices to fuel growth
• A fully accessible sensory room, designed for calming and focus
• A gym and full kitchen to build skills and independence
• Community gathering spaces to bring everyone together
• A fenced-in outdoor playground and raised garden beds for hands-on learning and play
• And so much more…

This space will not only meet our current needs, it will honor our vision to serve more families, more deeply, for years to come.

Meet the Team Behind the Momentum

This moment wouldn’t be possible without the passionate group of people working behind the scenes to make it happen. For the past 18 months, our Build Campaign Committee has poured their time, talents, and heart into moving this dream forward. You can learn more about our board members and committee members on our website.

Campaign Committee Members:

• Brian Arndt, Co-Chair
• LeAnn Haroldson, Co-Chair
• Kelly Antonson- Executive Director
• Kim Arndt- Past Board President
• Sarah Berndt- Board President
• Brett Bauch- Treasurer
• Amy Ulrich- Grant Writer
• Julie Byrnes- Committee Member
• Camilla McKay- Committee Member

Special thanks to Amanda White Consulting for their invaluable guidance in the early stages of this project. Their insight helped lay a solid foundation for the campaign’s success.

The Time is Now

We are working to purchase the land and break ground this Fall, pending the success of our fundraising. Every gift, every share, every connection brings us closer to opening the doors on a space that will change lives.

We’re proud to have incredible partners on our side who believe in this mission as much as we do:
🏗️ Sara Investment Real Estate
🏗️ JG Development (Supreme Structures) and Powers Consulting
🏗️ Sketchworks Architecture

They are listening, advising, and helping us balance cost, quality, and care, ensuring our new home is both beautiful and sustainable.

Join Us

This is more than a building. It’s a bold investment in a future where individuals with Down syndrome and other disabilities are empowered, celebrated, and supported—every step of the way.

There are many meaningful ways to support our Build Campaign:

💙 Room Naming Sponsorships – Leave a lasting legacy by sponsoring a room in honor of your family, business, or a loved one. Want to rally others to help you name a room? You can even create your own personal fundraising page, and we’ll walk you through the process. It’s easy and incredibly impactful.

💙 Become a 321 Build Believer – Join our community of monthly donors by giving $21 to $321 or any amount that’s meaningful to you. This is a simple, sustainable way to power progress and show your commitment to building a more inclusive future. Every monthly gift builds momentum.

💙 Individual Gifts of Any Amount – Every dollar matters and moves us closer to our goal. Whether it’s $25 or $25,000, your gift will be matched (2:1) and help create a space filled with learning, laughter, and belonging.

Help us get there. Donate. Share. Advocate. Believe.
Together, let’s build something extraordinary.

👉 VISIT OUR CAMPAIGN PAGE to learn more about the project and how you can get involved!

Have questions? Contact our Executive Director, Kelly at kantonson@gigisplayhouse.org