GiGi’s Playhouse, Portland Comes to Life With Help From Team Depot 

GiGi’s Playhouse, Portland is gearing up for the Grand Opening of the Pacific Northwest’s first Achievement Center on September 28th – and doing so with help from so many amazing organizations in our community.  

On Wednesday, August 21, Team Depot, approximately forty associates from eleven stores in the greater Portland-Salem communities, arrived with products, tools, skills and hearts for service, to the doors of GiGi’s Playhouse Portland…the northwest’s first Down Syndrome Achievement Center. This day of service was placed in motion by a grant from the Home Depot Foundation and coordinated through Home Depot’s local leadership. Team Depot arrived at 7am and was hard at work by 7:30. The team: 

• Constructed the center piece of the Playhouse: The GiGi’s Performance Stage 

• Framed and finished a laundry room 

• Designed and constructed shelving for the GiGi’s resource center and entry 

• Installed white boards in tutoring labs, adult education areas and offices 

Team Depot was led by their Captain, Brian Scott, who is the Store Manager for the Salem Home Depot (Store Number 4006). Brian has been with Home Depot for more than 30 years and has served as a Team Depot Captain for the last 12 years. He explained how Team Depot’s mission and values align with GiGi’s Playhouse:  

“Much like GiGi’s Playhouse, Team Depot and the Home Depot Foundation are all about bridging the gap between a larger organization and a local community. We’re not simply a big orange box retailer. We live in these communities; we serve these communities; and we take pride in these communities.” 

Brad Johnston, GiGi’s Playhouse Portland Board President, agreed with Brian and shared a similar sentiment: “We couldn’t be happier about Team Depot committing their time and resources to help us achieve our mission. These folks are here on their day off, and they have smiles on their faces and joy in their heart. These are the kinds of people, and this is the kind of effort, it takes to make a difference in our community and provide real help for underserved populations like those living with Down syndrome and their families.” 

Although Team Depot primarily works with groups who focus on veterans’ causes, they do allocate about 35% of their project time to working with community-based non-profit organizations, such as GiGi’s Playhouse, Portland. Said Scott, “It’s all about interacting with communities, schools, young people – you name it. If there’s a non-profit with a good mission, we’re going to jump in. If there’s a need, we’re going to put our foundation behind it and do everything we can to support positive advancements in our communities.” 

GiGi’s Playhouse will host friends, family, and media members at the Achievement Center Grand Opening on Saturday, September 28th from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The Portland location is at 8538 SW Apple Way Portland, Oregon 97225. 

About GiGi’s Playhouse®  

GiGi’s Playhouse is the only international network of Down Syndrome Achievement Centers providing free life-changing therapeutic and educational programs for all ages. GiGi’s Playhouse started in 2003 when GiGi was only 1 year old.  Today, there are 50+ locations across the U.S. and Mexico and serve families in more than 50 different countries! With worldwide demand to open over 200 locations, GiGi’s Playhouse is on a mission to change the way the world views Down syndrome and to send a global message of acceptance for all. During the COVID-19 pandemic our virtual education platform, GiGi’s At Home, allowed us to continue our commitment to offer free programming to our families both LIVE and On Demand. 

About The Home Depot Foundation 

The Home Depot Foundation, the nonprofit arm of The Home Depot (NYSE: HD), works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, support communities impacted by natural disasters and train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $500 million in veteran causes and improved more than 60,000 veteran homes and facilities. The Foundation has pledged to invest $750 million in veteran causes by 2030 and $50 million in training the next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro program by 2028. To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us on X @HomeDepotFound and on Facebook and Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.