This is not goodbye!

You will soon see that we are advertising for an Executive Director position here at our Playhouse.

You may say to yourself, wait, what? Isn’t that Pam’s position? The answer to that would be yes and no. It’s complicated!

I wanted to personally tell you that this is not a goodbye but a restructuring of responsibilities. After almost 9 years, I am stepping away from my full-time Site Director position here at GiGi’s Playhouse Quad Cities. I am, however, not leaving. I will remain full-time until the Executive Director position is filled and they are onboarded. Once they are comfortable, I will transition to a part-time role. There are still some details to be ironed out by our board but please know that I love GiGi’s Playhouse Quad Cities, the participants, families, staff, and volunteers. It is simply time for a change.

As I said in a blog back in 2016 when I was hired as the Site Coordinator, change is not a bad word. 

So much has changed since that blog post was published. Personally, professionally, and with the overall Quad Cities Playhouse. I have personally watched both of my children serve in the military and transition back to civilian life, I became a grandma and celebrated a few more years of marriage with my husband whom many of you know. He has embraced GiGi’s as well and volunteers in various ways throughout the year.

Professionally my role here at GiGi’s has gone through several changes and I have met every change and challenge with a determined to succeed attitude. I have always strived to achieve my best of all while keeping what is best for our Playhouse and families in mind.

The Playhouse has seen a few staff come and go, welcomed many new families and volunteers, and grown in more ways than I can explain. One obvious growth was within the building itself. This was a needed and welcome change. That growth has allowed us to serve more families, provide more programs, and utilize more volunteers. As a result, in 2024, we logged the highest number of participation hours we’ve ever had. Another change has been in the number of staff. There was once just two of us and now there are three. Again, this was a needed and welcomed change. That is how I feel about this change. This is needed for our Playhouse to continue to grow and become the best it can be.

In that blog from 2016 (linked above), I mentioned that I was excited to support GiGi’s mission to change the way the world views Down syndrome and make a difference in the lives of individuals with Down syndrome. At that time, I had NO IDEA how much GiGi’s and the participants would mean to me and how it would change MY life. I hope I have made a difference and will continue to advocate for individuals with Down syndrome because there is still plenty of work to do to make our world more accepting and inclusive. One thing that remains the same as in that blog post is that change still scares me and it makes me nervous, but once again I am following my gut telling me that it is time for a change!

Please don’t hesitate to ask questions as this shift in responsibilities takes place. I am here to help in any way I can. I look forward to being part of GiGi’s Playhouse Quad Cities as it continues to grow and change.

Thank you for allowing me to be part of your lives!

Sincerely,

Pam Lynch, Site Director

If you know someone who might be interested in applying for the Executive Director position, please share this link with them. https://gigisplayhouse.org/quadcities/careers