Meet your LMNOP leads!

Ashley and Dana were instrumental is starting LMNOP Back up again. Their enthusiasm, experience and desire to see people succeed are what makes them so special. Read a little bit about both of them below!

A huge thank-you to these wonderful ladies for everything you do. Our programming wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated volunteers and leaders! 👏💫

Ashley:

She and her husband have two children, Carson (7) and Caroline (4), along with two Olde English Bulldogs, Liberty and Howie, and 13 chickens! She has been working as a Speech Language Pathologist for the past 14 years, spending the last 11 school years with BOCES. They are big fans of all Philly sports—Go Birds! She started volunteering at GiGi’s Playhouse late this summer and currently serve as the Program Lead for LMNOP. As a Speech Language Pathologist, She is always looking for ways to support communication, so when she learned there was an opportunity to lead LMNOP—a program once led by friends of hers—She jumped right in. Her favorite part of volunteering at GiGi’s is seeing the smiling faces of the kids and families who come to events. One of the most rewarding moments for her has been watching parents connect and being a part of supporting their child’s development. For anyone considering volunteering, She would say “go for it!” It’s okay if you can’t commit to something concrete—there’s truly something for everyone, whether you want to be front and center or help behind the scenes. She is looking forward to many more LMNOP classes and continuing to see communication grow! 

Dana:

She is currently a graduate student at Syracuse University in her final semester of the Master’s program in Speech-Language Pathology. Originally from Northern California, she now lives in Syracuse with her husband and her two cats, Margaery and Gigabyte. In her free time, she loves to sing, bike, paint her nails, and play with her cats! She began volunteering at GiGi’s Playhouse this September and is involved with LMNOP (Language, Music, N Our Peeps) twice a month, as well as the Amina Grace Speech and Language program, where she sees clients weekly. She was inspired to volunteer because she wanted the opportunity to meet more people of all ages with Down syndrome and learn how Speech-Language Pathologists can best support their communication and learning. What she enjoys most about GiGi’s Playhouse is how supportive and inclusive everyone is—people of all abilities and communication styles are welcomed and celebrated. Every milestone, no matter how big or small, is treated as an achievement. One of her favorite moments has been when her 3-year-old client spontaneously gives her hugs—it melts her heart every time! It reminds her that while they are working on speech and language, the most important thing is making it fun and meaningful. For anyone considering volunteering at GiGi’s Playhouse, she would say “go for it—you’ll have an incredibly rewarding experience and see firsthand the positive impact you can have on others, and the impact they’ll have on you.”