GiGi’s Playhouse Tampa Cheer Gems

This is our 3rd Season: The Cheer Gems is a GiGi’s Playhouse program that has created a partnership with Pop Warner Football, Cheer and Dance, to create an inclusive Cheer Team. Pop Warner and GiGi's Playhouse are both national nonprofit organizations that have local programs in the Tampa Bay Area.

The 2024-2025 Team consists of 21 Cheer Team Members - 16 Families, 17 with special needs, 4 boys. We have 6 team members who were adopted from foster care or through internal adoption. We have 11 volunteer coaches and staff and three coaches were adopted from foster care or through an international adoption.

REGISTRATION FOR THIS TEAM IS ANNOUNCED IN SPRING OF EACH YEAR.

In 2022, Parents familiar with the two amazing organizations that serve the special needs community in different capacities, sought to bring them together to propose a “new concept”. This concept has created an INCLUSIVE CHEER TEAM, that allows the team to include individuals with special needs and their siblings. Parents will not face having to find two cheer programs to accommodate their busy family schedules or that will leave one of their children sitting on the sidelines or their loved one with Down syndrome not being accepted. Sibling team members serve as positive role models for the entire team. Experienced Cheer Coaches volunteer their time and have the support of both national organizations. The Cheer Gems will be showing off their talent at Tampa area youth football games and exhibiting at Pop Warner competitions and local events.