![\"Karen,](\"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/rockford\/files\/2020\/06\/Karen.jpg\" "\\"Karen\\"")
\n\t\n\tServing as the Executive Director of GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford, I now know what it means to be part of a place that lives its mission out loud!<\/p>\n
The first time I stepped into the Playhouse, the logo tag line that reads “educate. inspire. believe.” came to life and took on new meaning. I have a background in psychology and close to three decades of professional experience in Rockford’s social service community, but I didn’t need any of that to be able to see and feel immediately that GiGi’s is a place that makes a difference every day in the lives of the individuals and families it serves.<\/p>\n
It’s truly an honor to be part of a team that stands at the forefront of changing the world’s perception of children and adults with Down syndrome. If you haven’t seen “the magic” up close, we encourage you to stop in … whether you’re an interested community member, enthusiastic volunteer or new family to our playhouse, be prepared to open your mind and heart to those with Down syndrome and GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford!!! Feel free to reach out to me at kcarlson@gigisplayhouse.org<\/a> or (815) 654-7529, ext. 211.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t I am a Rockford native who has a background in Administrative work. I answered an ad for Administrative help here at GiGi’s, not knowing much about Down syndrome. I have now been here since January of 2013, and my administrative duties pale in comparison with the interactions I have with the many participants of the various programs. I truly believe everything happens for a reason, and I was meant to be here…not as much for my help to run GiGi’s office, but to learn about people with disabilities and what a wonderful addition they are to our community! These people are warm, caring and wonderful and I am proud to call them my friends. GiGi’s Playhouse has given me much more than I have given it, but I believe it is a wonderful partnership between us. I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have and I can be reached at sbonetti@gigisplayhouse.org<\/a> or by calling the playhouse at (815) 654-7529.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t My name is Kyra Casalena, and I graduated from Rockford University in 2024 with a major in human development and a minor in psychology. I was placed at GiGi’s Playhouse as an intern during my junior year and continued to volunteer through the summer. I was put on this path for a reason to help me find my passion, and the paths aligned as the position opened for Education Coordinator and I became an employee in August 2023. I use the knowledge from my bachelor’s degree every day in the Playhouse to help individuals with Down syndrome learn and grow just as much as they have helped me. My goal is to be a resource for participants and their families involved in the Playhouse, and to create a positive space of growth and learning for those with Down syndrome. I truly love working with the participants and I am so grateful to be a part of such a wonderful organization! Please feel free to reach out to me at kwoodrum@gigisplayhouse.org<\/a> or (815) 654-7529.<\/p>\n Our Team Karen Carlson, Executive Director Serving as the Executive Director of GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford, I now know what it means to be part of a place that lives its mission out loud! The first time I stepped into the Playhouse, the logo tag line that reads “educate. inspire. believe.” came to life and took…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25763","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/rockford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/rockford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/rockford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/rockford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/rockford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/rockford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25763\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/rockford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/rockford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/rockford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Stacy,](\"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/rockford\/files\/2020\/06\/stacy.jpg\" "\\"stacy\\"")
\n\tStacey Bonetti, Operations Coordinator<\/h3>\n
![\"kyra-c\"](\"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/rockford\/files\/2023\/08\/kyra-c.jpg\" "\\"kyra-c\\"")
\n\tKyra Woodrum, Education Coordinator<\/h3>\n
\n\t\t\tBoard of Directors\t<\/h2>\n\tPresident, Sarah Johnson
\nVice President, Heather Bilodeau
\nTreasurer, Ellen Poppen
\nSecretary, Sue Arntzen
\nBoard Member, Fred Muehlfelder
\nBoard Member, Penny Wirtjes
\nBoard Member, Lorie Moran
\nBoard Member, Jessie LaMonica Fletcher
\nBoard Member, Deanna Martin
\nBoard Emeriti, Dr. Bill Hutt
\nBoard Emeriti, Steve Summers\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"