GiGi’s NYC Quarterly Highlights: January – March 2021

It’s a Wrap!

GiGi’s NYC just closed out another successful semester of winter programming. Winter kicked off with our ongoing community favorite, TeenTastic, and concluded with numerous World Down Syndrome Day celebrations. We were able to continue offering a wide variety of weekly programs, we hosted several educational lectures, and we produced several events, meaningful to our community. The world of virtual programs and events have yet to slow down GiGi’s NYC!

Check out the recap below to see some of our highlights during the first quarter of 2021:

• Anti-racist book clubs in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Led by Jessica Semmel, a public-school teacher, social worker, meditation teacher, and mom.
• Two-part lecture series and Q&A on Self-Direction. Led by Esther Arden, GiGi’s NYC highly knowledgeable community member, Self-Direction Broker, and parent.
• Two-part lecture series on recognizing and utilizing family strengths to empower, advocate for, and help your child develop and grow. Led by Dr. Bonnie Keilty, Professor and Chair of the Special Education Department at Hunter College, City University of New York.
• Interview and Q&A with model, public speaker and Down syndrome advocate Grace Strobel and her mother, Linda Strobel.
• Two-part lecture series on “Inclusive Educational Programming” and “Strategies to Address Challenging Behaviors.” Led by Dr. Kathleen Feeley, a Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Long Island University and founding Executive Director of the Center for Community Inclusion (CCI), home to three New York State Education Department funded technical assistance centers.
• Multiple World Down Syndrome Day celebrations, spanning over two weeks, produced with our dedicated partners and volunteers. They were well attended by our community, families, and friends. They provided inspiration to all of us, as we carry the spirit of our shared memories into everything we do.