{"id":458317,"date":"2021-04-30T12:50:20","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T16:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/?p=458317"},"modified":"2021-04-30T12:52:00","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T16:52:00","slug":"participant-spotlight-denise-kiernan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/participant-spotlight-denise-kiernan\/","title":{"rendered":"Participant Spotlight: Denise Kiernan"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time for another Participant Spotlight. This week we celebrate Denise Kiernan! Denise joined the GiGi\u2019s NYC community last summer for our Summer Horizons program and has been actively involved ever since! Denise shares her kindness and joy in every program she participates, and is always willing to help in any way she can. We hope you enjoy learning more about Denise in this Participant Spotlight.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When did you join the\u00a0GiGi\u2019s\u00a0Playhouse NYC community?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I first joined in Summer 2020 for Summer Horizons,\u00a0when my mom signed me up.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How old are you?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I am 22 years old!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u00a0GiGi\u2019s\u00a0NYC programs do you attend?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Buddies with Columbia University, Gratitude Art Committee,\u00a0GiGiKitchen, Summer Horizons,\u00a0GiGiFIT, Yoga,\u00a0Leaders in Communication, and\u00a0many\u00a0more!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What program\u00a0is your favorite \/ has been the most impactful to you?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gratitude\u00a0Art Committee. I love doing art!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You are a very talented artist, Denise. A portrait you drew was featured on the oversized postcard\u00a0GiGi\u2019s\u00a0NYC sent to many of our donors, celebrating World Down Syndrome Day 2021. It was beautiful. That\u2019s quite an achievement. Congratulations!<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does\u00a0GiGi\u2019s\u00a0NYC mean to you?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having fun and getting exercise.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What have you gained from our programs?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I can now do a pushup!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What do you look forward to doing at the Playhouse once we can safely gather there again?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I hope we can cook something healthy together.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How do you enjoy spending your free time?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Making bracelets and relaxing.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Can you share an example of how you represent what Down syndrome is today, which increases awareness and acceptance?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Showing the world that I can stand up for myself!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What would you like to see from\u00a0GiGi\u2019s\u00a0NYC in the future? Do you have any ideas for new programs or special events?<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I would like to have a bake sale!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Denise, thank you for this opportunity to learn more about you and share with our community your passion and talent.\u00a0You are an inspiration to\u00a0us\u00a0and to the world, and we love your idea about holding a bake sale! Please join us in thanking Denise for her wonderful participation and contributions to\u00a0GiGi\u2019s\u00a0NYC!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time for another Participant Spotlight. This week we celebrate Denise Kiernan! Denise joined the GiGi\u2019s NYC community last summer for our Summer Horizons program and has been actively involved ever since! Denise shares her kindness and joy in every program she participates, and is always willing to help in any way she can. We…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":288,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wpo365_audiences":[],"wpo365_private":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1085],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-458317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-participant-spotlight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/288"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458317\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/newyork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}