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The Power of Inclusion: Celebrating Local Individuals with Down Syndrome in Swimming
At first glance, swimming may seem like a simple recreational activity or sport, but for individuals with Down syndrome, there is more to it than that. The joys and challenges of swimming on a team also shows the importance of integration and inclusion in sporting activities. It is still not commonplace to see our friends…
Read MoreGiGi’s Goes to Rainbow Day Camp, 2023
The first week of August, 2023 we took 10 participants of GiGi’s Playhouse to Rainbow Day Camp as a guest of the Jewish Community Center (JCC). Our participants spanned the ages of 10-18 and all have Down syndrome. Due to the supports put in place by our volunteers and prior camp coordination, our campers blended…
Read MoreTutoring – A Volunteer’s Perspective
This summer I had the opportunity to tutor a 7-year-old named Miles in literacy. I really enjoyed doing this and I think that the experience was definitely something I would do again. It was a little tricky getting Miles to focus on what we were supposed to do, but after trying different ways to get…
Read MoreParticipant Best of All: Baz – How his focus grew this summer.
Leaps and Bounds, I know here we go again, but wait it’s another kid doing great things, showing his Best of All…Seriously, this program has it all for our young learners! There is music for sing-a-longs with sign language to grow our communication skills, obstacle courses of all kinds to get the wiggles out in…
Read MoreNATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK
National Volunteer Week is the third week in April and we want to take the opportunity to THANK all of the volunteers who help to keep our organization running! Volunteers assist us in providing purposeful programs that otherwise would not exist at GiGi’s Playhouse Milwaukee. Volunteers make us smile just as much as the participants…
Read MoreVolunteer Spotlight: Molly
Molly has been an MVP over the last year! She co-lead our Leaps and Bounds Program at the Playhouse starting last winter/Spring and has also stepped up to lead GiGiFIT Infants and Toddlers after co-leading it all of 2022. Molly is dedicated to helping our little ones with their movement and gross motor skills! Molly…
Read MoreWe Make the Change Together!
“When there is something you enjoy doing there is nothing more fun than sharing that love with others!” -GiGi’s Playhouse belief This is why we share GiGi’s mission to build a world that embraces Down syndrome and each person’s strengths and uniqueness to truly CHANGE THE WORLD! Each of our board members and staff members…
Read MoreVolunteer Spotlight: Danielle
Volunteer Spotlight: Danielle is one of our Teen Tastic leaders who has taken charge of coordinating the weekly program. She comes prepared to each program and collaborates with other leaders to create age-appropriate activities based on the themes chosen by the group. This past week was an animal theme and she modeled handwriting with the…
Read MoreBest of All: Ralph
Participant Best of All: Ralph (shown on the right) is a new participant to the Milwaukee Playhouse and has begun attending TeenTastic. TeenTastic focuses on building social skills with friends with and without Down syndrome by participating in team-based activities in a casual and fun setting. Skill development includes understanding compromise, turn-taking, and problem-solving abilities.…
Read MoreGiGi’s Playhouse National Leadership Conference
Earlier this month our Milwaukee team attended the Annual GiGi’s Playhouse National Leadership Conference, and we are motivated, excited, and equipped to CELEBRATE in 2023!! Get ready, Milwaukee!! Board member Erin Anderson was invited to present at the conference on successful grant writing and shared some of the successes that we have been so thankful…
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