Volunteer Reflections

A few days ago, we had our first Volunteer appreciation dinner.  Even though it was only a fraction of the many volunteers who serve GiGi’s Playhouse, it was such a beautiful representation of the variety of skills and talents that are the fuel to keep GiGi’s Playhouse running.  Looking around the room we saw program leaders, program volunteers, tutors, gala committee members, event volunteers, who are parents, high school students, grandparents, aunts etc.  Volunteers who had been with us two months, and some that started before we opened a year ago.

All of this started as a dream – a dream between one dedicated teacher to an amazing boy with Down syndrome and his mother to bring a GiGi’s Playhouse to the greater Nashville area. In a few short years, that dream transferred into a reality that was only possible through countless hours of hard volunteer work. What started as meetings in a cafe with a small group of less than 15 parents and other people who have a heart for Down syndrome has snowballed into a fully functioning Playhouse that includes a board, fundraisers, tutors, and other individuals dedicated to showing Middle Tennessee how much we need a place like GiGi’s. This place is a blessing that not every community has, and the services that it provides are priceless. Just imagine the look on a mother’s face as she hears her son read for the first time after being told shortly after his birth that that moment might not ever happen. It shows the world that people are so much more than a diagnosis. These are amazing individuals that have so much to offer in their communities. We are helping to change the whole concept of Down syndrome one child at a time.

Thank you to all of our volunteers.  You are appreciated every day.