Stronger Together | Rotary Club Chicago

I was thrilled to be invited to the first of 2018, Rotary Club Chicago meeting on January 9th.

The Rotary has no secret handshake, no secret policy, no official creed, no secret meeting or rituals. It is an open society of men and women who simply believe in helping others.

Believe! My favorite word!!

I am so thankful for a room full of people who listen to me tell the story of GiGi’s Playhouse, my love for my kids and mission to help change the world! Sometimes I am terrified by the enormity of what we are trying to accomplish and the dreams I have, but I know we must do this and I know that, with help, and BELIEF, we can and we will continue to change the world. That is why I am so grateful to the Rotary. There is a rotary in the backyard of every playhouse and I cannot tell you what that means to us. To know someone has our back, that the community is out there fighting for us, means more to me than you will ever know. It was a privilege to introduce GiGi U graduate and Hugs & Mugs intern Chris. He shared his love of GiGi’s Playhouse and his pride was clear to all. He represented the over 33,000 individuals with Down syndrome that GiGi’s Playhouse supports.

I shared the story of how the Hoffman Schaumburg rotary began in the early 2000’s. Dom was the president of that local Rotary and a real go-getter! He understood how hard things were for our children and adults and really wanted to help. Then in 2012, I got a strange email from Dom, his youngest son had just had a child with Down syndrome and now instead of helping GiGi’s he desperately needed GiGi’s. He was so grateful to have a direct connection and took the lead with his sweet granddaughter because his son was so blindsided by the diagnosis. Dom had inside knowledge that everything was going to be ok and that they

were going to have all the love, support and guidance they needed to raise their beautiful daughter through GiGi’s.

I know Dom lives his life with gratitude through Rotary and now through experiencing the need for the places Rotary supports. Next time you go out I want you to celebrate your life and the life of every individual with Down syndrome! Be grateful for what you have! I want you to dance like no one is watching, I want you to dance because God gave you the muscles to dance and I want you to dance and be free because you can.

When a pregnant mom hears that her baby has Down syndrome, the furthest thing from her mind is dancing. When a father looks at his new baby through the tears that come with receiving a diagnosis, he wonders if he will ever dance again. The fear. The anxiety. It stifles the ability to breathe, let alone dance.

Then the medical community tells these new parents about the possibilities of leukemia, heart defects, low muscle tone, learning disabilities, low expectations and so much more, and this young couple is paralyzed with the fear of the unknown.

This story, or some version of it, takes place every single day. That is where GiGi’s Playhouse comes in. GiGi’s was created to help individuals with Down syndrome and their families overcome the physical, emotional, and financial challenges of having special needs – and to learn to dance again. The struggle is real and GiGi’s is giving hundreds of thousands of people the courage to dance again.

So get out there and DANCE!!!