Believe in Our Build - GiGi's Playhouse Wausau

We are working hard to open and sustain a new GiGi’s Playhouse location in Wausau! Our Playhouse needs to be ready to serve families the day we open. Our programs are free to families, but that does not mean they are free to deliver. We must build out our location, secure furnishings, purchase program materials, train volunteers and much more. To do this, we rely heavily on the generosity of our community members and local organizations who believe in our mission. Will you Believe in Our Build? There are three ways you can help:

MIRACLE MAKERS make dreams happen through generous large donations from individuals, foundations and businesses. These contributions support a broad array of immediate needs to help our playhouse open and run programs in our first year!

Become a Miracle Maker

DREAMERS are the families who dream of a promising future for their loved one with Down syndrome; they start teams and challenge for sponsorships.

BELIEVERS are family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, teachers, community members and strangers alike who sponsor the dreamers and help them achieve their goals. No donation is too small to help build the Playhouse!

Are you a Dreamer or Believer?

VOLUNTEERS contribute more than monetary donations or supplies. They give their time. Do you have the time, belief, and desire to help create a new Playhouse in Wausau with purposeful therapeutic, educational and career-development programs that are always offered at no cost to families?

Volunteer

Miracle Maker Opportunities

BELIEVER

$25,000 Comfort of Home MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: GiGi’s Playhouse locations open ready to serve on day 1. GiGi’s Playhouse offers a physical brick and mortar place – a place to learn, a place to grow, a place to celebrate, a place to know you’re not alone, a second safe and secure home. By supporting a years' worth of rent and utilities, you will be changing the way an entire community views Down syndrome and creating an environment of acceptance and belief for all who enter.

PLATINUM LEVEL

$15,000 Café G Kitchen  MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: This beautiful teaching kitchen will provide the opportunity for individuals to learn skills to promote independence and enjoy the pleasure of cooking for themselves and others.  The kitchen is a perfect place for socializing and real-world learning.  Occupational and developmental therapy are key components of this area

$10,000 Technology Equipment  MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!  

IMPACT:  Help our Playhouse run smoothly and safely with up-to-date technology.  We need computers for staff and volunteers, 1-2 televisions to inform and train parents, volunteers, donors and community members. In addition, a security system with video cameras helps to keep participants and volunteers safe. Our music system is essential to in providing a welcoming and celebratory feel at the playhouse.

$10,000 Learning Labs  MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: Children and adults expand their reading, math skills, speech and language skills, organization skills, self-confidence, and focus through our 1-on-1 Literacy and Math Tutoring and Speech and Language Therapy programs!  Shh... don’t tell them that they’re learning while they think they’re just having fun playing with letters, shapes, manipulatives, games and tactile strategies that teach our participants the way they learn best.

$10,000 Get Fit Gym & Supplies 

IMPACT: Adults and children enhance their physical fitness, muscle tone, self-esteem, self-expression and socialization skills through GiGiFIT.  The GiGiFIT program focuses on improving fitness through strength, endurance, joint stability, balance, and movement control. It promotes wellness through nutrition and building self-confidence. With programs for newborns through adults, the GiGiFIT programs address low muscle tone and joint laxity in individuals with Down syndrome and builds an environment of lifetime physical therapy and fitness.

GOLD LEVEL

$5,000 Family Room  MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: The couch is the place of comfort for new parents coming to GiGi’s for the first time. Often this is the first-time parents hear the words “Congratulations!” Parents can take it all in, share their journey, fears and hopes. The family room is also a place for parents to network, observe and share experiences, build acceptance, and find mentors. The group nature of GiGi’s Playhouse shows parents that that their child has an amazing opportunity to achieve their greatest potential.

$5,000 Therapeutic Play Area MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: Children and teenagers with Down syndrome participate in therapeutic play and activities with a variety of equipment, toys and manipulatives to develop motor skills, language skills, and social skills while interacting with their peers and siblings.

$5,000 Club GiGi Teen & Adult Lounge MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: This area is geared specifically toward the teen and adult population. This fun, lounge-style atmosphere will host therapeutic programming and games centered on social skills and language development in an age-appropriate setting. They’ll be having so much fun, they won’t even know they are learning!

$5,000 Playhouse Training and Support. MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: We are 99% volunteer run! Training staff and volunteers takes time and resources, and we’ll gain lots of assistance form the GiGi’s National Office to get this done, but it is not free to execute.  For our staff, board members, and key volunteers, the GiGi’s Annual National Leadership Conference in Chicago is pivotal for training, networking, and gaining inspiration from the 40+ other locations.

$5,000 Sensory Room MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: The sensory space can provide a whole new world to those with Down syndrome. The room will provide individuals with great therapeutic benefits by offering a multi-sensory experience. Benefits to the sensory room include developing senses of sight, tough and hearing, teaching cause and effect, providing a sense of security and calmness, encouraging vocalization and communication, improving coordination and gross motor skills among many other benefits.

SILVER LEVEL

$2,500 Stop In & Stay Awhile Sign

IMPACT: Having a beautiful outdoor sign will make us stand out as the place to stop in and stay awhile! We want the community to see our sign, stop in, be inspired and leave telling their neighbors, co-workers and friends “GiGi’s changed me and will change the world”!

Site Coordinators Office $2,500 MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

GiGi’s Playhouse is a 99% volunteer-run organization which leaves Playhouse’s at some point the ability to hire a Site Coordinator. The Site Coordinator is a goal-oriented, conscientious individual who uses sound judgment and effective analytical skills to manage all aspects of the local playhouse including: Overall Playhouse operations and administration, managing volunteers, delivering internal and external communications, assisting with event support and ensuring all national processes and policies are executed appropriately at the local level. All staff members are the face of GiGi’s Playhouse and play an essential role representing GiGi’s to families, volunteers, donors and community members.

Mother’s Room $2,500 MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

At our local Playhouse, we have been lucky enough to have multiple bathrooms available and one being more substantial in size. This space will provide a comfortable and private setting for new mothers to nurse, pump or take care of personal needs. Some features include shower and sink, comfortable chair and side table, small fridge among other items.

$2,500 Sound Stage  MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: Kids and adults with Down syndrome grow their self-confidence as the center of attention.  Programs include dance, karaoke, theater, and more! The stage is often the first place a participant tends to go when the first walk through the doors. The stage is a sign of pure acceptance and knowing that everyone at GiGi’s supports and celebrates you for who you are.

$2,500 Resource Library  MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: Computer access for attendees encourages learning and exploring for kids and adults alike. We can teach typing skills, internet safety, appropriate online communication tactics, research skills and more. In the resource library, parents and other family members can also gain access to up-to-date information about Down syndrome, other community resources, and teaching strategies.

$2,500 Generation G Youth Board MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: Be accepting. Be generous. Be kind. That is the message of Generation G. The GiGi’s mission is to change the way the world views Down syndrome and send a global message of acceptance for all. Help us fulfill that mission in local schools through the development and sustainability of a Youth Board. The Youth Board will function under GiGi’s Playhouse Wausau’s governing Board of Managers and be responsible for community awareness campaigns, outreach, and fundraising.

$2,500 Innovation Room MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: Having a dedicated learning space will provide opportunities and experiences necessary for participants to become capable, self-reliant, self-motivated and life-long learners. Being of adequate size, the space will allow for speakers, group learning and room for celebrations!

$2,500 We Love Our Volunteers Area MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: GiGi’s Playhouse is a 99% volunteer-run organization and we rely on the skill and dedication of volunteers with a broad range of expertise and availability to keep our organization running smoothly and ensure we can always deliver our programs for free. Having a dedicated space in which volunteers can prepare program lessons, coordinate events and be awesome is what they deserve!

$2,500 Let's Be Seen, Heard & Understood MIRACLE MAKER ACHIEVED!

IMPACT: GiGi’s Playhouse is about spreading a global message of acceptance for ALL! This is done through in person campaigns and images of our loved ones with Down syndrome. We want our space to be filled with pictures of our local kids and adults with Down syndrome, we want to have a billboard promoting the amazing things GiGi’s Playhouse provides, we want EVERYONE to see, hear and understand!

BRONZE LEVEL

$1,000 – Support a Program 

IMPACT: 100% of GiGi’s programs are free to families and are therapeutic or educational in nature.  Each one is facilitated by a trained volunteer, many of whom are therapists and educators. Whether the focus is gross motor skills, fine motor skills, social development, speech and language, fitness, or career skills, every program at GiGi’s playhouse is purposeful and progressive. We focus on the needs specific to the Down syndrome community and teach in a way they learn best.

$1,000 – Community Awareness Event 

IMPACT: Support a community awareness event for new families, volunteers and/or prospective donors to show people what the Playhouse is all about and the impact it makes to families, volunteers and community members.