SUPER Thank You 2025

• 41 Fundraising Teams
• 40+ Volunteers
• 60+ Raffle Items
• 725+ Registrations
• $90,000+ Raised

We say thank you dozens of times but it never feels like enough. Our 2025 GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge -Superhero Run, walk, and Kids Dash was nothing short of AMAZING! We had the best weather anyone could ask for. A far cry from previous years filled with rain and wind!

Many people deserve a shout-out for making this event such a success!

Team Captains – Without your time and effort in recruiting family and friends to join you, this peer-to-peer fundraiser and awareness effort would not be possible. Thank you for being part of the challenge and for believing! We always highlight the top 10 teams at the event but please know that every team is valuable to raising awareness for this event and the need for acceptance in our community! A list of all teams can be seen in this previous blog.

Volunteers – with more than 40 volunteers, we’re afraid we’d miss someone if we attempted to list them out, but please know that if you volunteered, YOU are truly part of the overall success of this event. There are so many moving parts, and having you there to assist makes the day the best it can be!

Raffle item donors and ticket purchasers – the raffle alone raised over $5000! There were many great items available, thanks to the generosity of numerous donors. We hope that the new process made the drawing go a little faster and a little less confusing.

Runner, Walkers, and Dashers – Thank you for registering to participate. We hope you had a great time. Show the world you know who you are by wearing the event shirts with pride! We can’t wait to see you out in the community. 5K participants, the list of times and standings can be seen here.

Shuttles – Thank you to Sherrard Schools for providing a shuttle again this year. Parking is always a concern, and we want to make it as easy as possible!

Photographers – Thank you to the Snap Wagon and volunteer Martha Merritt for capturing the smiling faces from the day. Photos can be seen here.

Food – Thank you to the following people and places for their generous in-kind donations of food and beverages:

• Hy-Vee
• Costco
• Kuhnen Family

Planning Committee – Many thanks to the planning committee for putting in the time and effort to plan the event. This is not done in days or weeks but over an entire year!

• Natalie Bates
• Mark Taghon
• Brian Yaklich
• Amy Schatterman
• Andrew Thompson
• Pam Lynch

Additional special mentions – thanks to the following for their time and efforts!

• Packet/Shirt Prep Crew (Swegle Family, Janice DeBuysere, Diane Sommers, Rosie Bates, and Carla Oliver) plus the volunteers who assisted with packet pick-up and raffle preparation
• Kate Holsen (National Anthem)
• Kathy Hall & Ann Weeks (raffle oversight)
• Midwest Sluggers Softball Team (raffle support)
• Brian Lynch & Paul Croll
• Matt Karstens
• Amanda Cook (shirt design)
• Sue & Mike Swegle
• Lisa O’Connor (kids’ dash)
• John  Punkiewicz (lead bike)
• Dawn & Korryn Taghon (manning the turnaround)
• Nathan, Gavin and Oakley Bates & Anna, Ron, and Abby Carmichael (handing out items)
• Koepke Family & others for cheering on the runners
• Kelly & Taghon Families for manning the water stops
• Josh Sherrod from River Bend Productions (announcer)
• End Results Timing Company (5K Timing)
• Fleet Feet (archway, bags, and promotion)
• QC Custom Tees & Primetime Apparel (printing signs and shirts)
• Joe Moreno (run and water stop equipment)
• We know there are many others not listed, and we appreciate everyone who helped in some way!

We’d be amiss if we didn’t mention Edison’s Gastro Pub for putting together the amazing after-party for families to continue their celebrations. There was yummy food, games, music, and fellowship!

Working with these people/businesses is truly a blessing.

While this event is a fundraiser to raise crucial funds for the playhouse, the free programs we offer, and to raise awareness for the need for acceptance, it is so much more than that! It is also a chance for individuals with Down syndrome to show the world who they are!

YOU make a difference in our playhouse, the community, and the lives of our participants!

If your name was not mentioned, please know that we truly do appreciate every one of you, but we’d be here all day if we listed the many people who make this event happen. Thank YOU!

Sponsors

On behalf of everyone at GiGi’s, we thank you!

GiGi’s Board Members: Kathy Kuhnen, Kim Nimrick, Nathan Kessler, Anna Carmichael, Abbey Pocklington, Meribeth Johnson, Tara Wilson, Andrew Thompson, Rachel Conley, Maddie Blackbourn, and Kate Holsen

Staff: Pam Lynch, Ann Cobb, and Anna Kronenberger

P.S. As of 6/18/25, our small playhouse is in 3rd place for fundraising out of all locations holding GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge events. This a true example of how giving and supportive the Quad Cities community is. The overall Playhouse Leaderboard can be seen here.