Volunteers at GiGi’s Make A Difference

GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford is one of my favorite places to volunteer. Everyone who works and volunteers at GiGi’s is extremely friendly. The facility is really nice and organized. The best part though, is the people at GiGi’s. They are a joy and there is never a dull moment with them.

I have volunteered at GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford for two years now. Last year I helped with Kids’ Club and GiGi’s Kitchen. The cooking class was fun because there was a wide range of ages of the participants. The cooking class was not only a time for good food and learning, but also a great time to socialize and bond with the participants. I also volunteered at Kids’ Club. After volunteering with this awesome program, I decided to lead Kids’ Club the next year.

This year for Kids’ Club the theme was traveling the world. We “traveled” to Australia, Mexico, Egypt, and even outer space. Some of the traveling themed activities we did were, mummy wrapping with toilet paper, hitting a piñata, hoping like a kangaroo pillow sack race, and an ocean fishing game. This program was a great learning experience for me because I was able to learn what activities were interesting to the participants. I learned that sensory based activities were their favorite. Some of the sensory based activities we did together included digging through beans to find stars, searching for ocean toys in moon sand, and giant memory card games. We had a blast!

Overall, I am extremely grateful for the experience I have had being a volunteer at GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford over the past two years. GiGi’s Playhouse has greatly impacted me by improving my planning and people skills and helping me grow as a person. My favorite part about GiGi’s though is receiving hugs from the participants; it warms my heart so much. I already look forward to volunteering there next summer and creating new memories with the participants.

Courtney Larsen

Kids’ Club Lead Volunteer 2018

Bradley University