October 2025 Best of All

The highlights below are just a few of the #bestofall moments we witnessed during October.

Participant & Program Best of All

Miss Ann brought her fun buzzer system in to play some guessing games with both Teen Talk and GiGi’s Achievers. The groups had such a fun time slapping their buzzers and guessing the correct answer.  The teen group did especially well with deductive reasoning, deciphering what food was being described with special clues. Teen Talk is a program that has seen many “best of all” moments this year.  With increased language skills, improved articulation skills, and overall better communication skills, this group has also made some good friends. This “best of all” is more than just fun and awesome skills in a guessing game, but the best of all for our group.  One parent even texted our staff saying that Teen Talk is the best group for teens! Thanks to everyone who came and played.

There are still many opportunities to attend a program before we say goodbye to 2025. Visit the calendar to register for your favorite program (or the Holiday Party)!

Volunteer Spotlight

Sometimes, life throws a curveball, and things don’t go exactly as planned. That’s precisely what happened right before the final dance rehearsal leading up to our annual Gala performance. Our dedicated program leader had an unexpected last-minute emergency and couldn’t be there for the crucial session.

But in true “the show must go on” spirit, our amazing intern, Isabella, immediately stepped up to the plate! She quickly met with the program leader, absorbed everything she needed—from the music cues to the final routine details—and led the entire session that evening.

Thanks to Isabella’s incredible poise, our participants didn’t miss a beat! Her hard work ensured they had the smooth, final rehearsal they needed, which led directly to their absolutely awesome performance at the Gala! Thank you, Isabella, for your commitment to our participants and for truly saving the day!

👉Read more about Isabella in a previous blog post linked here.

Playhouse Inspiration

GiGi’s Playhouse Quad Cities 2025 “Have a Ball” Gala 💛 👑 💙

On October 18^th, GiGi’s Playhouse Quad Cities absolutely “had a ball” at our 2025 Gala! The night was a celebration of the achievements of our participants! The evening was filled with stories, singing, dancing, drumming, and inspiration! Our GiGi’s Rock Band knocked our socks off with their two performances, the GiGi’s Dance group amazed us with their hard work and graceful dance steps, and our friend Kate touched our hearts with her song that reminded all of us how important it is to be accepted and have the same opportunities as others.

We are so lucky to have so many people support our Playhouse, whether they could attend in person or not. Thank you to our Gala Committee and all of the volunteers who made the evening run smoothly! Thank you to all of our sponsors, attendees, donors, and auction winners for your financial support in helping us bring free, purposeful programming to our participants and their families! Your support allows us to continue changing the way the world sees Down syndrome! You inspired us to continue to be accepting. To be generous. And to be kind!

👉Read more about the gala in a previous blog post linked here.

YOU can submit your Best of All stories and moments too!

Staff typically choose these stories, but we’d love to hear from you, too! If you see or hear something worth highlighting, please let us know!

309-762-7529 or email quadcities@gigisplayhouse.org

#bestofall