Letter from our President

GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego Turns Two!

Hello,

I hope you are doing well and staying safe!

GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego turned two years old this week and we couldn’t be more proud of the work we have done to support individuals with Down syndrome and their families. Our participants and reach has continued to increase over the last two years, with new participants coming in and new volunteers signing up each month!

We are so proud to have launched over fifteen programs in our first two years! We’ve had more than 10,000 program hours, serving more than 200 families with the help of almost 300 volunteers. We have also been able to build amazing partnerships with other groups in the community and we’re excited to keep growing our Playhouse!

We are in unprecedented territory right now, but we are adapting and continuing to serve our families in new ways. After in-person programming was suspended, virtual programs were launched to allow our local community to gather and keep engaged. GiGi’s National Office launched “GiGi’s At Home” with LIVE and On Demand programming nationwide. We’re thrilled that our local music therapy program was incorporated into this and now families across the country and Mexico are reaping the benefits. The response has been incredible, attracting both new participants from areas that don’t yet have a Playhouse and Playhouse “regulars” to participate and enjoy the programming from the comfort of their own home.

We’re so lucky to have such an amazing team of staff and volunteers that has allowed us to launch local virtual programs. Aside from Music Therapy being offered four times a week, we’re also rolling out our signature programs like Fantastic Friends, LMNOP, and Destination Discovery. We’re proud to announce a new partnership program, Sign and Speak, which is an intensive five-week program led by Karyn Lewis Searcy, M.A., CCC-SLP, to help kids grow and improve their speech while giving parents tools they will carry with them forever.

Unfortunately, our biggest fundraiser, The San Diego Donut Run, (which allows us to offer all these programs for free), was scheduled for May 16th. We will have to postpone it until the fall, as our local parks and beaches will likely remain closed through May. Our registration page is open and we encourage you to register and create your teams! We are disappointed that we won’t be able to gather soon for this fun celebration, but realize it’s for the best of our community. Stay tuned for more info and a new date.

We have applied for the SBA government funding, but, like most nonprofits, are facing an uncertain financial future. If you have the means, please consider becoming a recurring donor to support our incredible cause. We want to be around for a long time and continue to expand what programming we offer.

Thank you for helping us make all of this happen!

Karen Falk
GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego President

GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego| 4761 Cass Street San Diego, CA 92109 | 858-333-5743

This email was sent by: GiGi’s Playhouse and our network of Playhouses
Corporate headquarters located at:
2350 Higgins Rd, Hoffman Estates, IL, 60169 US

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