Posts by Denise Montero

Growing up with a younger sister has always been inspirational because she gives me the best advice in different situations. Whenever I need to talk to her about something, she always listens to what I’m saying and supports me with a variety of coping strategies to help me get through them.  The top 3 things…

My older brother, Robert, was born with Down syndrome in 1977. My mother always tells us how she knew something was different while she was pregnant with Robert. The doctors offered her testing, but she refused because she knew no matter what she was going to love her child. It did not make a difference…

This month one of our Youth Board member/volunteer Lucy has stepped up and has truly blossomed. She has been a member of the Youth Board since January 2022 but didn’t come into her own until just recently with consistently showing up to the Youth Board meetings, actively engaging in the conversation of what they could…

     Stefania and I moved from Cleveland, OH to San Diego to be closer to family…my sisters (aunties). We have lived here now since August 2022 and so happy to be here. Love the sunshine! Stefania’s happy place is the beach. For her 16th birthday, she asked to have a fire on the beach.…

“When first hearing about the DS diagnosis I cried, a lot. I was scared for the life he would have. I never thought he would live a bad life or be a burden, I was scared of the people that don’t understand and how they’d treat him. To be honest I’m still scared but I…

  Marissa (Rissa) is a rehabilitation counselor with a specialization in cognitive disabilities. She holds a rehabilitation counseling certification, utilizing her skills in the field of different abilities encouraging folks to explore their gifts in a wide variety of vocational settings, personal development and socialization skills. She is a long-term member/facilitator of the San Diego…

Valerie S. Volunteer at Friends, Fun and Fitness, Fantastic Friends and GiGi’s Kitchen Program Lead Valerie S., originally from Riverside, CA has been volunteering with GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego since Fall 2021. She started volunteering with GiGi’s Playhouse because some of her very best friends in the world have Down syndrome and she wanted to…

Trish and Zander Candia   Our volunteer Trish Candia, originally from Oregon, moved to San Diego because of the SUN! Trish and her son Zander have been consistently volunteering at GiGi’s San Diego for almost 1 year. Trish has been an elementary school teacher for 20 years and felt that God was calling her in…