Thank you Superheroes!

Superheroes come in all shapes and sizes. You never really know when or where they might show up but one thing is for sure….the Quad Cities is FULL of them! Just last week we were witness to thousands of them.

The last few weeks are a blur to us but a good blur. We had 51 people set up a fundraising team to help raise money for GiGi’s and the participants that benefit from the services/programs that we offer.

Out of 51 teams, 29 raised the $321 needed to receive a personalized sign along the run/walk route at the event but it didn’t stop there….

14 teams raised more than $1321 and 5 of those raised more than $3210.

Why are the numbers 3,2,1 so prevalent in our fundraising efforts? 321 is a special number to us. We celebrate our friends that have 3 copies of the 21st chromosome!! Trisomy 21 is another name for Down syndrome.

This event takes all hands on deck. From families, organizations and businesses setting up teams, sponsors willing to sponsor, and volunteers willing to give of their time and talents. Over 100 volunteer spots were filled the week leading up to and at the event. We won’t even try to list or name everyone because we’re sure we will forget a name and we certainly don’t want that. However, please know that if you had a hand in helping, we truly appreciate you! Without you this event could not happen. Then there are the family members, friends, and coworkers that donate to a team and the cause and/or participate. There were 1047 registrations and over 1000 donations.

These may just be numbers to you but to us they are AMAZING! Why? Because all these numbers are confirmation that all of YOU believe in GiGi’s and the mission to change the way the world views Down syndrome. All of these numbers feed into making the event what it is.

Here’s a quote from a GiGi’s family member:

“Huge THANK YOU for everyone’s dedication and hard work that goes into making that day so amazing and special!!!!!!!!!!!”

As many of you may know, we celebrate the $321 teams leading up to the event and we also have a challenge and incentives for teams that raise the most money.

The top 3 teams this year were:

Team JackaRoo $8837

Lightning Lincoln $6711

G.I. George $5388

All the teams combined raised $67,000+. A complete list of the teams and their fundraising totals can be seen here. All of the teams help ensure this event is successful and we appreciate each and every one of them.

AND #BestofAll the fundraising total as of today is over $80,000. OUTSTANDING!!!

We did this together with your help. #StrongerTogether

Again, these may just be numbers to you but to us this means we are able to keep the lights on, the doors open, and offer all of our educational and therapeutic programs to families for FREE. Speaking of programs we have some exciting new programs coming in the next year and we can’t wait to share them with you!

Ok, so we’ve talked a lot of numbers but what’s really important here? Our families! They are the highest priority here at GiGi’s and we have our top fundraising team leader here to tell you why they participate in the event and support GiGi’s.

Click on the photo below to read their story! We promise you’ll be glad you did!

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