November 2025 Best of All

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

Participant & Program Best of All

Our Program Best of All comes from our Music Maker Kids program.  Our participants ages 5-12 have been joyfully exploring their voices through various musical avenues—singing, chanting, and creative vocalizing. Sessions in November marked a profound moment of breakthrough and confidence: every single one of our participants bravely used their voice. They chanted our energetic ‘Stretch and Bounce’ egg shaker rhyme with conviction and, later, confidently added spirited animal sounds to our favorite song, ‘Down on Grandpa’s Farm!’ Witnessing every child find and use their voice so clearly and boldly was a true testament to their growth and a beautiful Best-of-All memory we made together.

There are still a few opportunities to attend a program before we say goodbye to 2025. Visit the calendar to register!

Volunteer Spotlight

For several years, Dr. Steph has been a shining star in our community, gracefully leading our yoga program and enriching the lives of participants of all ages. More than just an instructor, she is one of the most patient and deeply understanding program leaders we have the privilege of working with. Dr. Steph possesses a truly unique ability to read the room, seamlessly sensing when the group needs to pause for extra time dedicated to calming breathwork, or when they need focused guidance on poses, turn-taking, and practicing kindness. Her sessions are a beautiful blend of physical movement and emotional regulation, underpinned by her incredible grace—she laughs genuinely at their jokes, patiently supports our program interns and assistants, and always allows students to observe. Her dedication is perhaps best exemplified by how she champions the participants, always reserving her “Best of Alls” post-program reports for their personal triumphs, like the one she shared from a November session: “When we did our planks, Lisa yelled ‘Oh Yeah!'”

Dr. Steph’s commitment extends beyond yoga; she consistently leverages her network to bring Occupational Therapy (OT) students in to assist, ensuring our participants receive holistic support tailored to their needs. Her deep well of patience and warm presence—especially when working with our participants—makes her an invaluable cornerstone of our program. We are profoundly grateful for Dr. Steph’s ongoing dedication, which makes our yoga program a place of peace, focus, and joyous achievement.

Playhouse Inspiration

2025 GiGi’s Playhouse Annual Leadership Conference

GiGi’s Playhouse Quad Cities showed up in force at the 2025 National Leadership Conference, and we returned home feeling fully recharged and ready to keep progressing—our Board President Kathy Kuhnen’s word for the year ahead. This commitment follows a successful year of strategic succession planning. Our Executive Director, Nathan Bates, summarized the collective feeling best: he left the conference ready to “dream big” for our community. The conference was a powerful reminder of why we do what we do, with Board Member Abbey Pocklington noting how sessions on creative storytelling reaffirmed the emotion, authenticity, and heart behind our mission. Connecting with peers from across the GiGi’s network, celebrating our local achievements, and collaboratively planning for the future affirmed what we already know: we are SO LUCKY to work with an amazing and dedicated team.

The true highlight of the conference was the recognition that our Playhouse Team and two incredible members of our Playhouse family received. We are immensely proud to have again received the SOE Champion award, a plaque recognizing our successful achievement of five or more of the anuual Standards of Execution. Even more moving was the moment our longest-serving staff member, Pam Lynch, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her nearly decade-long dedication, leadership, and heart—an honor that truly exemplifies the spirit of GiGi’s Playhouse. Adding to our pride, one of our own talented participants, Matthew Benson, was celebrated as the #GenerationG Artist, who designed the official award for the entire 2025 conference. These achievements are not just awards; they are pure inspiration, fueling our continued mission to promote global acceptance.

👉Read more about the Annual Leadership Conference 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