7th Annual ‘i Have a Voice’ Gala: An Evening of Inspiration!

Another amazing ‘i have a Voice’ Gala event has come and gone for the Southern Tier GiGi’s Playhouse! Every year we are truly blown away and amazed by the impact one evening can have on our non-profit that provides 100% free programs for all ages for the Down syndrome community!

Our evening began with cocktail hour and live music by the talented Kristen Carter-Fabiano! Our guests enjoyed drinks and hors d’oeuvres while participating in our raffle baskets, a wine and gift card pull, and the silent auction. The main program was kicked off by our very own Program and Volunteer Coordinator, who gave the first speech of the evening welcoming our guests and introduced our ‘Signing with the Stars’ performers! The ‘Signing with the Stars’ group, signed to the classic song, ‘We are the Champions‘. This powerful song showcases that our friends with Down syndrome are capable and able to be chaptioms! Following the performance, Site Manager, Katie Whaley, thanked our event sponsors and all who made the evening possible.

In 2024, we began a new tradition of awarding a family, donor, or volunteer who exemplifies what it means to be ‘GenerationG’ with a GenerationG Award. Being ‘GenerationG’ means advocating for acceptance and inclusion, being a beacon of hope for those pushed to the margins, and overall being generous, accepting, and kind! This year’s second annual award was presented to Anne Laubisch- a long time volunteer and Board Member! Anne has been working with the local Down syndrome Community for over 20 years, and has touched the lives of many of our Playhouse families since the time their loved ones were just tiny babies. Anne more than exemplifies what it means to be GenerationG, and we are lucky beyond measure to have her as a dedicated volunteer.

Our next speaker was Playhouse Participant, Emily Clarke, and her sister, Justine. Emilee was able to share her favorite things about attending programs at GiGi’s Playhouse, and Elizabeth piggy backed and shared how much of an impact GiGi’s has had on their family. We are so proud of Emilee getting on stage and speaking to the over 400 guests!

Following Emily, we played our specially made gala video. Produced by Manna Media, this video highlighted the Rittenburg family, who has be and the impact our 100% free programs have had in their lives! We find it extremely important highlight the families that have been impacted by our programs to our supporters to showcase impact! Following the video, Board President, spoke to our guests and announced a new project GiGi’s Playhouse Southern Tier will be taking on…. expanding our current space and building a ‘GenerationG Cafe’! This expansion will include a retail space which will allow us to provide a continuing education, career development, and on-the-job training with customer service and retail opportunities for our adult participants. We will begin construction on the new space in the Spring with the goal of opening in the Fall of 2026!

To close out our program, we had Grandstand Sports & Memorabilia host a live trip auction and a fund-the-need paddle raise! Between the two events, you all helped raise over 70k!! The energy in the room was magical during the paddle raise. It was overwhelming to see so many give to GiGi’s Playhouse in a matter of minutes!

The night ended with DJ’ing, provided by Engaged Entertainment, and lots of dancing! It was a night of looking back at the achievements our Playhouse hit from 2025 and ensuring that we can continue to provide FREE programs and resources AND open our new continuing education center in 2026! Thank you to all who attended our gala event- we can’t wait for next year!