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We are excited to announce that GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford will be launching a new GiGiFIT program in the coming months.  The GiGiFIT Program is designed to empower individuals with Down syndrome to develop independence and confidence in their abilities with an ultimate goal of mastering everyday tasks with less effort and minimal assistance. GiGiFIT will…

  The impact of community partnerships on the Playhouse can never be underestimated.  On Saturday, October 22nd, we had the most amazing Halloween party thrown by our friends at KFACT! KFACT is a nonprofit organization that provides holistic mentoring to at-risk girls in the Rockford area. Their programs are genuinely making an impact on a…

Here at GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford, we are constantly blown away by our amazing GiGi Prep, GiGi U, and GiGi Professional students. With 22 participants enrolled in our Career Development Programs, it’s easy to look around and be truly inspired by the dedication and hard work happening all around us. These students are not only working…

When you think of skills beneficial for individuals with Down syndrome to practice, many things come to mind, but some stick out more than others. Gross motor skills, speech skills, reading, and creative expression, to name a few. All of those skills happen to be components of our Portal Performing Arts program! Our amazing Portal…

THROUGH THEIR EYES… Recently, we were having a conversation about some phenomenal young women who volunteer at GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford who all happen to be sisters of Playhouse participants.  We realized that each of these young ladies basically grew up WITH the Playhouse, and we thought it would be interesting to get their perspective on…

Changing It Up a Bit… In general, routines are a good thing.  They establish expectations that help us move through our day and stay on track with the tasks we need to accomplish each day.  They serve as an internal clock that reminds us of what we need to do and when we need to…

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “The greatest gift you can give a child is imagination,” and here at GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford, we could not agree more. The benefits of imaginative play are well documented. Individuals with Down syndrome, who most likely struggle with social, emotional, and language development, are sure to benefit from this type of play.  In…

In our GiGi Professional Spring Session, five outstanding students embarked on field internships at YMCA’s Camp Winnebago and various Beef-a-Roo locations throughout Rockford. These field internships play an exceedingly important role for our students to gain experience and knowledge in the workforce and lend a helping hand to our community partnerships.  GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford greatly appreciates Camp Winnebago, Beef-a-Roo,…

Most of us have probably heard the expression, “A case of life imitating art.”  Well, last month at GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford, art imitated life.  Our Art Explosion class is led by Wendy Palumino, who is a very creative person.  With World Down Syndrome Day approaching, she was inspired to help our participants create something that…

Internships are a bit of an “unknown quantity” – you never know exactly what you are going to get.  When I started my internship with GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford four months ago, I suspected that I would really enjoy it.  What I didn’t know is that I would end up falling in love with the participants,…