Posts by Donna Rush

Hi! My name is Madison, I am the new Site Coordinator at GiGi’s Playhouse Rochester! I fell in love with GiGi’s when I volunteered in the past for the Golf Tournament, and Cooking Class. I am so excited to not only work for this organization-but I am excited to get to know all of you,…

GiGi’s Playhouse Literacy Program By Carey and Trevor McLaughlin My oldest daughter just completed a half marathon on her birthday in April.  Her road to running a half marathon was, in and of itself, a marathon.  She was never interested in sports as a young child, which mattered not at all to us, but it…

What is GiGi’s Playhouse? By Trevor and Carey McLaughlin GiGi’s Playhouse is a Down Syndrome Achievement Center started by Nancy Gianni after her daughter, GiGi, was born. “The very first Playhouse was created to be an inspirational and dedicated place for families to celebrate their child and benefit from free, purposeful programs that unleash joy,…

Kindness and Acceptance By: Carey and Trevor McLaughlin ‘Pay it forward’ is the concept of one person performing a small act of kindness towards another without publicizing or broadcasting it and without an expectation of reciprocity, followed by that person helping someone else and onward until the acts of kindness have a compounding effect on…

Grab Your Sneakers…It’s Time to Get Active For Acceptance Do you love supporting GiGi’s Playhouse, promoting acceptance, exercising with friends and family, or even all of the above? If so, join us on June 5, 2021, to kick off the GiGiFIT Acceptance Challenge and get moving for a cause. The event promotes activity and social…

World Down Syndrome Day World Down Syndrome Day!  March 21st By Carey McLaughlin World Down Syndrome Day is a global awareness day that has been officially observed since 2012 by the United Nations, and even longer in many other communities.  People with Down Syndrome have a third copy of the 21st chromosome, hence the significance…

      Spotlight on Haley Everett and Josh Miles by Trevor and Carey McLaughlin Haley Everett and Josh Miles are two of our amazing volunteers from GiGi’s Playhouse Rochester.  Hayley and Josh run the Teentastic group on a biweekly basis.  When Covid-19 hit, Hayley and Josh pivoted to the remote model for our Teentastic…

      SPOTLIGHT ON:  Chris and Jim Teich, Outstanding Volunteers! By:  Trevor and Carey McLaughlin             At GiGi’s, our volunteers are at the heart of all we do.  Without our volunteers, GiGi’s wouldn’t be the amazing place that it is.  Two volunteers that we would like to highlight are…

Written By:  Carey and Trevor McLaughlin Not all superheroes wear capes and leap over tall buildings in a single bound.  Some come into your living room through your computer and teach literacy and math skills!  At Gigi’s we are grateful to all of our superhero tutors who make literacy and math come alive for our…

(Written by Gabriella Hartman) GiGi’s is excited to announce our new Leaps and Bounds program which aims to promote social, emotional, and muscle development through environmental interaction. The program launched on October 21st, and will be undergoing a seven week trial period to test popularity and logistics. So far the program is full but make…