Looking Back: Growing our impact on the Down Syndrome Community in 2024!
December 30, 2024
Impact Growth in 2024!
Each year we like to reflect on the ways our community has lived our mission of ‘changing the way the world views Down syndrome and bringing a global message of acceptance for all’.
From celebrating the introduction of innovative programs, the initiation of powerful collaborations, and the heightened success of our fundraisers-together, we’ve made strides in uplifting the Down syndrome community.
These highlights are a testament to the impact of our collective efforts:
- Our network of Playhouses celebrated 21 years of advocacy
- Locally, we celebrated 8 years of direct impact in the greater Madison area
- Our playhouse families grew to over 395! We are reaching more families than ever before
- Learn why our volunteers and families choose GiGi’s HERE
- We provided an average of 487 programming hours a month!
- There were 18 different programs offered- all free of charge as always!
- This was only possible with the hard-work of our staff and dedicated program volunteers for their commitment to provide the life-changing programs.
- The physical therapy based, GiGiFIT, program was offered for toddlers, kids, teens and adults!
- We partnered with CI Pediatric Therapy centers to have physical therapists lead the program to make this program even more impactful for our youngest participants.
- We introduced a career development program called ‘Achievers’ which focused on the soft skills needed to successfully interact at workplaces and outings
- GiGi’s Kitchen was introduced for kids, teens and adults and resulted in increased life, social and fine motor skills

- Our partnership with the UW Speech and Hearing Clinic allowed us to provide 42 families with 1,200+ hours of free Amina Grace speech and language therapy
- Special thanks to the Amina Grace Memorial Foundation for continuing to support us with a $5,000 grant
- We served 79 students in Math and Literacy tutoring
- Our three major fundraisers, Diggin’ for Down Syndrome/Dash for Down syndrome, Go FORE It golf outing, and Generation G Gala, were more productive than ever before
Our donors, grantors and sponsors provided the gifts that allowed 18 different programs to run FREE OF CHARGE to all our families
- To see a list of our largest supporters, please visit our DONOR PAGE
- Our Friends of GiGi’s program was celebrated with 6 supporters! Visit our page to learn more
Our staff and volunteer Board of Directors worked together to keep up with the growth of our Playhouse!
- Meet our STAFF and BOARD MEMBERS
- We promoted our Site Director, Kelly Antonson, to our first Executive Director
- We added our first Board Member with Down syndrome, Maya Greengus
- The hard-work was recognized at our annual leadership conference where we were awarded 8 standards of execution awards with all 8 of those being at the Center of Excellence of level. We were 1 of 4 Playhouses to achieve this- an achievement that is only possible with the team working together.
- The strength and reach of our Playhouse work showed with the continued partnerships through Waisman Center and the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin-South Central
- We are stronger together when we can all work for the common goal of better serving our Down syndrome community
- Check out the Day with the Experts- Down syndrome here
- The most important accomplishments are the Best of All celebrations which happened the entire year
- We celebrated World Down Syndrome Day, the end of Summer, the holidays (with 150 people!) and all the work our volunteers and participants put into every program.
- Best of All= doing a little bit better than the time before and this is how we will be entering 2025 as well










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