Posts by Sara Van Deurzen
Volunteer of the Year 2020!
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR GiGi’s Playhouse Milwaukee was thrilled to learn that our Christmas Wish nomination to our banking partner, Bank Five Nine, won! Bank Five Nine’s mission is to Make Lives Better and we at GiGi’s playhouse Milwaukee, couldn’t agree more! Susan Waldkirch was nominated to receive this special gift because of her years…
Read MoreVolunteers’ virtual Book Club is reaching more students than ever before!
At GiGi’s Playhouse Milwaukee, our mission is to change the way the Milwaukee community sees Down syndrome. We do this through free therapeutic, educational, and social programming for individuals with Down syndrome from birth through adulthood. Diane Schlitz, a retired teacher, is a longtime volunteer and literacy tutor for many of our participants. Through her…
Read MoreBest of All – Meet Elise and her Literacy Tutor Kelly!
Elise is one of the many participants in our One-to-One Tutoring program. Throughout the fall session, Elise has been working on her literacy skills, specifically areas such as comprehension, compound words, syllables, and blending. Elise gave her Best of All as she read and matched compound words, clapped and counted syllables when reading. Every week…
Read MoreI was unaware that resources for this population were lacking
This fall we partnered with students attending Concordia University. Specifically students in the Health Promotion course as part of the Physical Therapy Department. Throughout the course, two students were tasked with creating lessons to use at GiGi’s Playhouse Milwaukee. Throughout the Fall the students continually reflected on the task and exclaimed that they were “unaware…
Read MoreProgram Highlight – UWM OT students are leading Teen Tastic!
Meet our new Teen Tastic Program leaders Katie and Taylor! Both leaders attend the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and are in the Masters of Science Occupational Therapy Program. Katie decided to become a volunteer at GiGi’s Playhouse because she strongly believes in the importance of providing meaningful opportunities for people with Down syndrome and their…
Read MoreProgram Highlight – Collaboration with University speech and language students supports all of us!
The Amina Grace Speech and Language with Marquette program is a fantastic collaboration between Marquette University and GiGi’s Playhouse Milwaukee. Last fall this collaboration was called Talk It Up with Marquette and this year it has evolved into a guided program with strategic outcomes based on students’ needs and skills and has changed its name…
Read MoreProgram Highlight – Speech and Language Collaboration with Marquette
A year ago we began collaborating with Marquette Univerity’s Speech and Audiology department. This collaboration has lead to 32 participants from GiGi’s Playhouse Milwaukee Down Syndrome Achievement Center getting the one to one speech and communication support that they need to grow! The students from MU are therapists in training and are placed at GiGi’s…
Read MoreMother-Daughter duo love volunteering
Have you ever wanted to become a volunteer? Just a few hours can make a huge difference in the lives of others! Elizabeth and Amalija Junge volunteered all summer at Art Explosion in the Park. This Mother-Daughter duo love giving their time to volunteer at our Programs. They had so much fun and enjoyed meeting…
Read MoreBest of All – Matthew
What do you do for fun? Matthew enjoys attending several of our free adult programs. These programs are structured to support adults with Down syndrome but are open to people with all disabilities. Matthew comes early and is ready to share and connect with other participants. This week Matthew demonstrated his Best of All while…
Read MoreAt GiGi’s you can do it ALL!
IN THE SPOTLIGHT… Emily, at GiGi’s Playhouse Milwaukee you can see her each week in our fault programs! Emily is a member of Book Club, Fantastic Friends, and GiGiFIT Adult. Each week Emily comes to these programs ready to participate, try new things, and lead by example. Last week Emily demonstrated her Best Of All…
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