The Impact of GiGi’s Playhouse

“What is GiGi’s Playhouse? What does your support in participating, volunteering, donating mean?

It has been a hard couple of years, as a mom….my son and I have experienced repeated rejections, from schools and activities, wrapped neatly in phrases like “it just isn’t a good fit” or “we can’t best meet his needs”….but I’ve got to be honest, all I hear is “he doesn’t belong” or “he doesn’t fit in here”

GiGi’s has been our only constant. The friends, families, volunteers and programs have been there, welcoming him and our family, with open arms. It has been one of the few places we don’t have to worry about him being “enough”…quiet enough, smart enough, we’ll-behaved enough….

And more than that,  He has made so many gains: working on his social skills, fine motor and cooking skills, speech and language, reading and math. He has eagerly attended weekly GiGiFit classes led by [our instructor], and has gained so much strength, coordination and balance that he no longer even qualifies for physical therapy.

But My story is not the exception…. GiGi’s has provided a home for so many young adults looking for connection, after school has ended.  GiGi’s has been there for new families that move into the area and don’t know where to turn, and they have found a soft landing and quickly become family. GiGi’s has been the very first point of contact to 4 families of brand new babies, just within the last 4 months….so that unlike in the past, these families, after receiving the diagnosis  are immediately met with congratulations and given the space to process or the hand to come alongside on this new journey (along with a celebration bag filled with goodies and information!!)

And we are far from slowing down!!! We continue to welcome new families, almost on a weekly basis now. In just 3 short years, we have outgrown our current space and are thrilled to be busy planning our relocation to a new and larger space in early 2023! NONE of this would be possible without this community of supporters, volunteers, donors, friends and family. This is just one of our 3 annual fundraising events, including our gala and 5k, that helps us keep our doors open and continue to provide all of our amazing programs for FREE. You are sincerely changing lives for countless families in our community and we cannot thank you enough!

Now before I finish, I want you to take a second and indulge me….

I want you to imagine that it’s your child’s school calling you to let you know there isn’t a place for him or her….imagine the pain you would feel as a parent hearing your child can no longer attend. I want you to think back to when you graduated high school and went on to college or a career and think about what it would have been like if that was not an option for you. You didn’t have anything to move on to, as all of your peers and siblings moved on around you, despite wanting that for yourself.

I want you to imagine you’re  a parent of a child or adult child with special needs, moving to a new area and the fear and worry you have, not knowing who or where is safe or knowing where to connect for your child. I want you to imagine those first few seconds/minutes/hours after your baby was born, and relishing in the miracle of life or even just recovering from the delivery….and now imagine being given news that would forever change the trajectory of your life and your child’s, rather than congratulations. Even worse, imagine that news being given only to your spouse who is tasked with breaking the news to you.

These are the realities of the families we welcome into GiGi’s everyday.

So while we are so thrilled and continue to provide support within the walls of GiGi’s, our task is so much bigger! We want to help create those career opportunities within our community for our participants, We want to help equip parents and schools to make sure our children’s needs can be met within the school settings. We want help educate the doctors and nurses on Down syndrome and how to deliver a diagnosis without causing heartache and trauma during those first delicate hours and days.

Because our goals are always growing and expanding, we are always looking to grow our families of volunteers and supporters, from volunteering for programs and events to committee members that help us plan and execute our programs and events successfully, to board members that help maintain and grow our Playhouse while holding true to our mission and vision. If you are interested in becoming more involved and helping us make more of an impact on our families and community, we would love to chat more with you!