{"id":141715,"date":"2023-05-13T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-13T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/madison\/?p=141715"},"modified":"2025-09-19T08:36:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T13:36:22","slug":"volunteer-spotlight-amanda-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/madison\/volunteer-spotlight-amanda-johnson\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteer Spotlight: Amanda Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We started this blog series for volunteer appreciation week in April, but we have so many wonderful volunteers to talk about it, that we decided to continue it through the year! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a reminder, GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Madison is 99% volunteer run \u2013 which means we wouldn\u2019t be here without our volunteers. We had 309 unique volunteers last year and have consistently been in the top five Playhouses for volunteer hours. It\u2019s pretty incredible to think back on all of the hours people have given to us \u2013 5,698 hours in 2022 alone! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These blogs will be posted in a question and answer format. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amanda Johnson<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did you decide to volunteer with GiGi\u2019s Playhouse? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want to be a knowledgeable, supportive and compassionate advocate for my youngest nephew Andrew, as he navigates life with Down syndrome, and be a part of the amazing GiGi\u2019s community. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Amanda and her nephew Andrew<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

How long have you been a volunteer? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the spring of 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What programs, committees or events have you volunteered with? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
    \n
  • Fantastic Friends <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Dynamic Duals <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Dash for Down Syndrome<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Playhouse holiday and World Down Syndrome Day parties <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

          What is your favorite way to volunteer with GiGi\u2019s? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Any way that allows GiGi\u2019s participants to show up and experience the joy and hopefulness that comes from engaging with their community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Can you share a favorite moment from your time volunteering? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          When I get to meet the families of the amazing participants. It\u2019s their willingness to connect that allows everyone to thrive.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          What is the most impactful thing you have learned from your time at GiGi\u2019s? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          That GiGi\u2019s is a well-oiled machine which requires an ongoing team effort to maintain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          What advice would you give to someone that is new to volunteering or considering volunteering with GiGi\u2019s Playhouse? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Go for it! There are many supportive people to help you find the right fit \u2013 and the connections made will be priceless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          __________<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Thank you, Amanda! \ud83e\udde1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          We started this blog series for volunteer appreciation week in April, but we have so many wonderful volunteers to talk about it, that we decided to continue it through the year!  Just a reminder, GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Madison is 99% volunteer run \u2013 which means we wouldn\u2019t be here without our volunteers. We had 309 unique…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10894,"featured_media":141717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1486,1487,13,1580,1565,1498],"tags":[1506,1587,23,1582,1524,1581,1583,21],"class_list":["post-141715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autism","category-down-syndrome","category-events","category-family","category-programs","category-volunteer","tag-autism","tag-dash-for-down-syndrome","tag-down-syndrome","tag-dynamic-duals","tag-family","tag-fantastic-friends","tag-gfac","tag-volunteer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/madison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/madison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/madison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/madison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/madison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/madison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/madison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/madison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/madison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/madison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}