{"id":141816,"date":"2025-03-21T13:48:12","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T18:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/?p=141816"},"modified":"2025-03-21T13:48:12","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T18:48:12","slug":"mary-swanson-volunteer-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/volunteer-spotlight\/mary-swanson-volunteer-spotlight","title":{"rendered":"Mary Swanson &#8211; Volunteer Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250319_145628391_iOS-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A volunteer sitting in a red chair holding a mug\" class=\"wp-image-141817 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250319_145628391_iOS-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250319_145628391_iOS-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250319_145628391_iOS-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250319_145628391_iOS-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This month, we are thrilled to shine a well-deserved spotlight on Mary Swanson, a dedicated volunteer who embodies the true spirit of generosity and service. Mary has been an incredible asset to GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Twin Cities, always ready to step in and lend a hand whenever needed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether it\u2019s assisting with events, providing support in programs, or helping behind the scenes, Mary approaches every task with a positive attitude and a smile. She is the definition of a \u201cgo-to\u201d volunteer\u2014whenever something needs to be done, Mary is just one phone call away, ready to make things happen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-fl-heading-text-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-07558320318587f09da2fba81befaff6\"><strong>Meet Mary Swanson!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How did you first get involved with GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Twin Cities?&nbsp;<\/strong> I was looking at the newspaper for volunteer opportunities and I found GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Twin Cities. I love&nbsp;individuals&nbsp;with Down syndrome, so it hits close to home.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How long have you been volunteering?<\/strong> I have been volunteering at GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Twin Cities for 3 years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What would you say to anyone who is interested in volunteering? <\/strong>Don\u2019t think twice about volunteering and just do it. You\u2019ll love it when you get here!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is your favorite memory from volunteering? <\/strong>The night of the Drama Troupe performance. I love seeing all our participants&#8217; hard work paying off. The only downside is the songs are so catchy, and they will be in my head for the next 3 months!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201c<\/strong>Mary is one of the hardest working and driven volunteers. She comes early and stays late, making sure to help with any set up or clean up for a program. You\u2019ll often see her cleaning up and putting things away without needing to ask. She is patient and compassionate; making meaningful connections, not just with participants but also with their families and caregivers. Mary effortlessly engages with participants of all ages, from the young learners at LMNOP to adults Achievers, and every age group in between.\u201d &#8211;  Rheanne (Rae) Lewis, our Speech Language Pathologist.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250119_195324863_iOS.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"5712\" height=\"4284\" src=\"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250119_195324863_iOS.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people sitting at a table painting.\" class=\"wp-image-141818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250119_195324863_iOS.jpg 5712w, https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250119_195324863_iOS-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250119_195324863_iOS-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250119_195324863_iOS-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250119_195324863_iOS-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/files\/2025\/03\/20250119_195324863_iOS-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 5712px) 100vw, 5712px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thank you to Mary Swanson for everything she does for GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Twin Cities!\u00a0We appreciate your hard work and dedication.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help us provide free programs that are educational and therapeutic in nature to individuals with Down syndrome from birth through adulthood, their families and the community donate&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/connect.clickandpledge.com\/w\/Form\/6df7a4b9-f3e3-49fe-9904-813720ef529f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To volunteer at GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Twin Cities:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/volunteer\">HERE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This month, we are thrilled to shine a well-deserved spotlight on Mary Swanson, a dedicated volunteer who embodies the true spirit of generosity and service. Mary has been an incredible asset to GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Twin Cities, always ready to step in and lend a hand whenever needed.&nbsp; Whether it\u2019s assisting with events, providing support in&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16099,"featured_media":141817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[987],"tags":[926,988],"class_list":["post-141816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-volunteer-spotlight","tag-volunteers","tag-volunteerspotlight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16099"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/twincities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}