Participant Voice: Soraya’s Experience at GiGi’s National Leadership Conference 2025
Soraya, Portland, OR ambassador, and ambassadors from Canton, OH, and Madison, WI at the original GiGi's Playhouse in Hoffman Estates, IL. This year, GiGi's Playhouse Portland's very own Soraya attended the GiGi's National Leadership Conference in Schaumburg, Illinois, to begin training to be Portland's first GiGi's Ambassador. What follows is...
Les Schwab, Delta Galil, FOX 12, iHeart Media, and More Partner with GiGi’s Playhouse Portland to Advance Down Syndrome Awareness in Oregon 🌟
Soraya, GiGi's Playhouse Portland's ambassador, brings good luck to our Oregon Charity Championship team. GiGi’s Playhouse Portland has been busy sharing the message of acceptance for all during Down Syndrome Awareness Month 2025! 🏌️ GiGi’s Wins Big at the 2025 Oregon Charity Championship A team representing GiGi’s Playhouse Portland tied...
💛 Against All Odds: GiGi’s Playhouse Portland Honored for Design Excellence During Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Kara (program coordinator and former start-up committee member), Brad (co-president), Sermin (architect), and Niki (start-up committee lead) shine with pride at the IIDA Design Excellence Awards. This October, as we celebrated Down Syndrome Awareness Month, GiGi’s Playhouse Portland received a very special honor from the Oregon Chapter of the International...
🍳 GiGi’s Kitchen for Teens & Adults is Coming to Portland!
Fantastic Friends' cooking days are the best attended sessions! Kitchen skills are independence skills. Launching January 2026🗓 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 6–7:30 PM📅 January 27 – June 9, 2026 We’re so excited to announce GiGi’s Kitchen for Teens & Adults at GiGi’s Playhouse Portland, a hands-on cooking program designed for...
New Sock Designs Arrive to Celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month at GiGi’s Playhouse Portland
Soraya and the "Love" sock. This October, we’re celebrating our incredible friends with Down syndrome—and the first full year of GiGi’s Playhouse Portland—with a brand-new set of limited edition DSAM socks, available all month long to those who donate to our DSAM Fall Fundraiser! Get Your Socks Back in 2024,...
Out and About with Fantastic Friends
Fantastic Friends meets up at the Oregon Zoo. This late summer, our Fantastic Friends program brought us to two wonderful local destinations. For those who don’t know, Fantastic Friends is designed for adults of all abilities to connect socially and practice independence skills together. And practice they did—first at the...
Family Speaker Recap: Using AI to Adapt School Curricula
At a recent presentation by Sruthi Muralidharan, PhD (Physics Teacher at Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School) and Radha Joy, MS, CCC-SLP (Speech Pathologist), families and educators explored how artificial intelligence (AI) can support more inclusive learning in schools. The session highlighted both the challenges teachers face and the opportunities for...
Teen Tastic’s River Adventure
Teen Tastic paddles out onto the river. A warm summer evening, calm water, and plenty of smiles—that was the scene when Teen Tastic headed to Cook Family Park for a day on the Tualatin River with Adventures Without Limits (AWL). AWL, a nonprofit dedicated to making the outdoors accessible for...
Family Speaker Recap: Helping Individuals with Down Syndrome Communicate Better
with Radha Joy, SLP Radha and her son. At our latest Family Speaker event, we welcomed speech-language pathologist (SLP) and GiGi’s volunteer Radha Joy, who shared her expertise in supporting communication for individuals with Down syndrome. As both a seasoned professional and a parent of a teen with Down syndrome,...
Recap in Photos: Portland’s GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge!
If you were there, you know that words won't do it justice. Check out the video recap on Instagram, too!
Family Speaker Recap: Understanding Your Child’s IEP with April Nordmeier, Learning Specialist
As the new school year approaches, learning specialist, mother, and advocate April Nordmeier shared practical guidance to help families navigate the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process and get ready for a smooth start. Her main advice: read carefully, ask questions, and trust your instincts. What Is an IEP? An IEP...
Family Speaker Recap: Supporting Picky Eaters with Responsive Feeding Strategies with Cassie Bingen, SLP
Speech-language pathologist Cassie Bingen from Parkwood Clinic recently spoke at GiGi’s Playhouse Portland on strategies for families navigating Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD). Her presentation offered a clear and practical overview of the condition, and how to support children in becoming more confident, joyful eaters. What is Pediatric Feeding Disorder? PFD...