Down Syndrome Awareness Month Fun

It is that time of year when we begin to switch out the tees for sweaters, buy pumpkin and apple-flavored delights, and plan how to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

This year, our team was concerned that we couldn’t meaningfully celebrate October because GiGi’s Westchester had no physical location. However, we were elated to discover that our community can celebrate DSAM and make a significant impact regardless of whether we have a storefront. It has been a month of incredible achievements that we can all be proud of!

Ferry Festa – Saturday, October 5th

Each year, Dobbs Ferry hosts their largest community event: an annual street fair with festivities, crafts, entertainment, music, and vendors called Ferry Festa. Residents who attend spend the day hanging out with neighbors, eating, dancing, and perusing the tables and vendors lining Cedar and Main Streets. To kick-start DSAM, GiGi’s Westchester participated for the first time! Our table was predominately hosted by our incredible Generation G Youth Board, who had fun showing off their face-painting skills on many kids’ faces. At the same time, our team proudly represented GiGi’s by spreading acceptance and awareness throughout the community!

Dine Out For A Purpose

Several months ago, Jenny Rodriguez (The Pint-Sized Vegan) approached us asking if she could organize a ‘Dine Out for A Purpose’ event. We jumped at the opportunity and suggested she plan the event for October to align with DSAM. Jenny loved the idea, as this provided her the perfect chance to celebrate the life of her dear aunt, who had Down syndrome.

Jenny partnered with Floria Uli, the incredible owner of The Speakeasy at Divino Cucina Italiana in Hastings. Together, they hosted the ‘Dine Out for A Purpose’ dinner, benefitting our Playhouse. Despite Floria never having thrown a ‘Dine Out’ before, she was enthusiastic and willing to do whatever she could to support us. The pair’s hard work paid off, and the evening was a huge success: the food was delicious, the company was fantastic, and the restaurant was an incredible location for the event!

Floria was so enamored with GiGi’s Westchester that throughout the night, she continued contacting her vendors and contacts to solicit more donations for GiGi’s. Shouts of “Cheers!” came from the bar every time Floria secured another contribution. By the end of the extraordinary evening, they had raised $6,000 for our Playhouse! We cannot express enough appreciation to all of you for your support and for making this great event possible.

Halloween Community Events

Our following community events were related to Halloween. We attended the 1st Halloween Block Party hosted by the Rivertown Chamber of Commerce in Irvington. This gave us ample opportunity to spread awareness and acceptance, and give away some delicious Halloween treats!

On Saturday, October 26th, our Gen G Youth Board and NCL—North Hudson Chapter volunteers represented GiGi’s Playhouse Westchester at the Annual Miracle League Spooktacular Event, welcoming over 1,000 attendees. This is one of our favorite events to attend each year because it is always a great event with tons of impressive costumes!

Is that it, you say? Well, no, we still have an event on Halloween to attend. Thanks to our friends at GiGi’s Playhouse Long Island, we have been invited to join them at the NYSE Closing Bell. We eagerly look forward to sharing this once-in-a-lifetime event with you soon. Get ready for more exciting moments!

We have had a lot of fun building meaningful relationships and partnerships within our community, but we cannot wait to reopen our doors.

To help us make this a reality, donate to our BIOB campaign or consider donating gift cards to enable us to purchase new furniture, resources, and materials.