GiGi U Immersion Week
Last Friday, we wrapped up one of our favorite weeks of the year, GiGi U Immersion Week! This is a week where we invite current, former, and prospective participants to a fabulous, fun-filled week. During this week, we focus strongly on building social bonds with our friends, old and new,...
Living Kindness Out Loud
This month in the world of GiGi’s Playhouse, we are celebrating kindness. We value kindness at GiGi’s for more reasons than we could name, but wow! What a powerful and uniting value to embody! We believe so much in the principles of kindness that we have built them into the...
Get That Elevator Speech Ready!
“GET THAT ELEVATOR SPEECH READY!” Because GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford is such a big part of the daily lives of people who attend programs, work, or volunteer here, it’s hard to remember that the “average Joe” on the street may not know who we are and what we do. Our Operations...
Practicing Change
At GiGi’s Playhouse, each month of 2023 has a particular theme. In February, the theme (not surprisingly) was “Love.” For the month of March, the theme has been “Change.” Change comes in many forms, and it means different things to different people. But one thing that most people can agree...
Show Us the LOVE
This month, we are feeling the love! The Rockford community has pulled out all the stops for our month of love, and we could not be more grateful. There are so many outstanding displays of love that we decided to list them for you! Home Depot: Talk about showing love to...
Katie and Mikayla
When you hear the word intern, you probably think of coffee runs and low-level busy work. Well, here at GiGi's Playhouse Rockford, we think of interns quite differently. Our interns are integral to the overall functioning of the Playhouse. Interning with us gives you a real insight into what it...
An Attitude of Gratitude
A new year is just around the corner. While we look ahead to our hopes and dreams for 2023, we would be remiss if we did not also look back and reflect on what has brought us to where we are now. At GiGi's Playhouse Rockford, we are both grateful...
GiGiFIT… LET’S DO THIS!
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...
Positive Impact of Community Partnerships: KFACT
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...
Leading the Way…Ashley Mahon
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...
Theatre Mania
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...
Through a Sister’s Eyes
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...