Volunteer Spotlight – Rachael
It is no secret that without an amazing army of talented, passionate and willing volunteers GiGi’s Playhouse can not run and grow. We continue to be humbled and blessed by the people in this community who send in emails, call and stop in to see how they can help. We will be sharing these people with you each month as we focus on one or two outstanding volunteers in the Playhouse family. First up we want to put the spotlight on our 2014 Young Volunteer of the Year, Rachael Baldigo. This wonderful young woman, hit the ground running. She is currently volunteering her time and talents at our Art Explosion program & co hosts our LMNOP program. On top of that she is working on what we just know will be a highly successful summer program for the nature lovers in our Playhouse (stay tunes for more details) Let us turn the mic over to Rachael to share what GiGi’s means to her.
“I learned about Gigi’s Playhouse through Heather Rodriguez Photography. When I had to fulfill my high school requirement for volunteer work, the playhouse was the first place I thought of. I sent out an application and began volunteering at the new Art Explosion program with Andrea Cardinale. In addition, I have had the privilege of starting Gigi’s LMNOP program with Lori Kindon and I am loving every moment of it!
Heather asked me what I have learned, but it’s difficult to say because I have learned so much. Before GiGi’s I didn’t understand a lot about Down syndrome, but since I began volunteering I have learned a great deal about what it really is. Some people have expressed that people with Down syndrome have a disability, but I haven’t seen that! They have a great capacity for love, hope and are very ambitious. The wonderful board members and fellow volunteers have taught me what it means to be involved in an organization focused on helping others. I have witnessed GiGi’s Playhouse and other organizations strip the negative labels from Down syndrome, and show that people with Down syndrome can accomplish anything. I have been inspired by every single person in the GiGi’s community in countless ways and I thank God for giving me all these experiences.
Volunteering at GiGi’s quickly went from being a requirement to something I genuinely love and want to do. I am extremely blessed to be a part of GiGi’s playhouse. The atmosphere there truly coincides with the playhouse motto: educate. inspire. believe. I want to continue to work with GiGi’s Playhouse because it is such a rewarding experience to help inspire others to achieve their dreams, and because they inspire me too! I don’t think I can ever do enough for these amazing individuals. I can’t say enough to express how utterly incredible GiGi’s Playhouse is, and I am grateful to be a part of it.”
“In this life, we cannot always do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” –Mother Theresa
Thank you from the bottom of our heart Rachael for all you do and for helping us grow. xoxo
If you are interested in getting involved at GiGi’s Playhouse as a volunteer, please fill out our online form HERE
educate.inspire.believe
