Taylor Tillman & Her Hangout Days

My name is Patricia Roebuck.  I have a beautiful 28-year-old daughter named Taylor, who happens to have Down syndrome.  Tay and I recently became members of the GiGi’s Playhouse Sugar Land family in April 2021.  I just have to share how in such a short period of time, finding and joining GiGi’s has changed our lives!!

Prior to the pandemic, Taylor was working as a hostess at Outback Steakhouse.  As you can imagine, she loved going to work.  I was so proud of her.  Almost as proud as she was of herself each and every day she walked in that door.  Taylor had been working a little over a year, then Covid hit. Tay, like many others, was literally holed up at home from March 2020 until March 2021. Once we felt fairly safe enough to venture back out into the world – we did not feel comfortable with her going back to work at the very public restaurant – so I began searching for a safe place for her to start living again.  Not only was I concerned with her feeling a part of society again – she, like the rest of us, had put on some extra pounds which we could not afford.  Along with Tay’s mental and emotional wellbeing, we all know her physical health is just as important. Extra weight on someone 4′ 9″ with a slow metabolism does not make for a good quality of life. THEN WE FOUND GIGI’s!!!!  Taylor tells me at least once a day how “happy and excited she feels inside!!”  I ask why and she says “I love GiGi’s”.  As a mom, hearing her say this so frequently gives me a sigh of relief. All any parent wants to know is that their child is happy, comfortable, and excited about something in life. I am so grateful we have found Taylor’s something which is GiGi’s.

She loves Gratitude Committee days which she calls “The Hang Out” days.  GiGi Prep is such an awesome program for our adults.  When Taylor was in school, I was always concerned about that which she had learned being lost over the summer. Now, at GiGi’s so much of the life skills Taylor learned in school are taught/refreshed in her mind. She loves it!  She talks about the healthy eating lessons and today she told me they took a nice walk (exercise, yay)!!

As you can see, I can go on and on and on…. Thank you to GiGi’s Playhouse Sugar Land and especially to Belinda, our Program Director and Sandra our Site Coordinator.  It takes very special people to do what they do, and they do it with pleasure and ease.