Why GiGi’s – Allison’s Story
Allison was born and raised in northern NJ. She currently lives in Hawthorne with her husband Marc, son Brandon, and her daughter Julia who was born with Down syndrome. Allison has always had a passion for working with kids with different abilities and needs. She spent her childhood years helping...
Why GiGi’s – Lori’s Story
Lori grew up in New Jersey and spent her career assisting children with special needs meet their greatest potential before raising her own family with her husband, Larry. She has worked as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, and literacy coach to various support staff and administrators, assisting in intervention, remediation...
Why GiGi’s – Lauren’s Story
I once read that you don’t truly discover your passion until it’s staring you in the face. For me, that moment came when I became a mother — the greatest gift I’ve ever known. But that “why” became even more profound with the birth of my youngest daughter, Mackenzie. Affectionately...
Why GiGi’s – Paulina’s Story
I immigrated to the United States from Ecuador after high school. I’m a proud mother of two young men, a preteen boy, and a daughter with Down syndrome, who has been my greatest inspiration. Her presence opened my heart and led me to support other families of children with special...
Why GiGi’s – Janine’s Story
Janine was born and raised in northern NJ where she lives with her daughter, Abigail, and her son, Joel, who has Down syndrome. Janine spent twelve years as a secondary education public school teacher, teaching both general education and inclusion classes. She is passionate about education and inclusion for all...
Why GiGi’s – Elena’s Story
Elena was born and raised in northern New Jersey, a stone’s throw from where she and her husband are raising their two school-aged children. Elena joined the National Down Syndrome Society DS-Ambassador program in 2023 and, alongside her daughter, has advocated annually on Capitol Hill for the needs of the...
