VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: GiGi’s Playhouse
TRINITY CORBETT, REPORTER: For families of people with Down syndrome, support can be hard to find. But at Gigi’s Playhouse, everyone has a chance to learn, grow, and celebrate what makes each person unique.
ALYSSA JOHNSTON, GIGI’S PLAYHOUSE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: People of all different abilities are welcome to participate at Gigi’s. And one big thing that we’re trying to do is just educate our community.
CORBETT: One of the people benefiting from Gigi’s Playhouse is Amy Cavallero, who says when she first came to the program, she wasn’t quite sure of herself. Now, she’s leading by example.
AMY CAVALLERO, GIGI’S PLAYHOUSE PARTICIPANT AND BOARD MEMBER: I feel more confident in myself. I feel more relaxed with what I’m doing– being on the board. I feel like I can talk more and be more myself.
CORBETT: Executive Director Alyssa Johnston says they have educational programming like math and literacy tutoring, but they also have a little fun through engaging social activities.
JOHNSTON: “Fantastic Friends”– so that’s just a friend group, and they have different activities and things that they do together. Today, we have somebody filling in, so they’re going to play a game called “Name that Tune”.
CORBETT: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Down syndrome affects nearly one in every 775 babies here in the United States, but thanks to organizations like Gigi’s Playhouse, families don’t have to face the journey alone.
CORBETT: Since Cavallero’s time at Gigi’s, she’s become a member of the board of managers as a self-advocate. Despite what stigmas may be associated with people who have Down syndrome, Cavallero says she values her condition.
CAVALLERO: I would not change my life for anything. I love having Down syndrome.
CORBETT: The organization currently serves seventy-one families affected by Down syndrome, but are looking for a new location so that they can continue to help more. In Cicero, Trinity Corbett, NCC News.
CICERO, N.Y. (NCC News) — GiGi’s Playhouse is an organization focused on giving support and resources to people with Down syndrome while providing fun and educational programming at no cost.
October is nationally recognized as Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and the Syracuse chapter of GiGi’s Playhouse is working to ensure it continues the mission it started over 20 years ago.
“We are a center for people with Down syndrome, but we don’t stop there with the support that we provide,” said Executive Director Alyssa Johnston. “One big thing that we’re trying to do is educate our community and the people that we see and interact with every day about Down syndrome.”
People with Down syndrome who are a part of the organization say they recognize the work GiGi’s staff put in to ensure they have an environment that promotes learning and growth.
Amy Cavallero is both a board member and an attendee of GiGi’s Playhouse. She says she appreciates the program for all of the new friends it’s helped her make and the activities they get to do.
“I love GiGi’s Playhouse so much,” said Cavallero. “It’s like a warm welcome for everyone to see what kind of programs we have like GiGi’s Kitchen and GiGi Fit.”
GiGi’s Playhouse offers various types of programming for both children and adults that aid in their developmental abilities, like literacy, math tutoring, and speech therapy.
Programs like GiGi Fit are catered to all ages and help the organization’s participants get active in a way that is formulated specifically for people with Down syndrome.
“It’s curriculum-based and was designed by physical therapists,” said Johnston. “So, it’s actually more physical therapy specifically designed for people with Down syndrome.”
Other programs they host, like LMNOP, which stands for “Language, Music, N’ Our Peeps,” help younger participants ages 0 to 36 months learn in a way that combines music and language.
The organization has created a place for attendees to make friends and build connections with people who not only have the same disability as them but the same interests as well.
“That’s mainly what I love to do is hang out with friends,” Cavallero said. “We do like movies, and not just movies. We like walks, hikes–anything any of us like to do.”
Although Cavallero said she felt lost on her first day at GiGi’s, since then she says she feels more confident in herself and has even received a position on the board of managers as a self-advocate.
I think my life is incredible–amazing,” Cavallero said. “I would not trade my life for anything. I love having Down syndrome.”
Volunteers like Rebecca Kohler get to experience a side of Down syndrome that most people don’t. She looks after an adult with the disability, and while she says she spends most of her time caring for him, she finds an appreciation for it.
“I think that it opened up my eyes a little bit to people with special needs,” Kohler said. “It was the best job I never knew that I wanted.”
Even with the current work that the staff at GiGi’s is doing, Johnston says they still hope to do more, but their lack of space is hindering their efforts.
“Our dream is to have a new location,” Johnston said. “That’s something that we’re working towards…so that we can provide our services to more people at any given time.”
The organization is presently located at Drivers Village in Cicero.
Despite GiGi’s Playhouse being a nonprofit and receiving outside funding, Johnston says that there is still a significant financial need in order to find a new building and ensure they are able to maintain their mission of free programming and never having to charge people to participate.
Johnston says they currently have 71 active families they help, and GiGi’s simply wants as many people as possible to benefit from the resources they provide in a way that is valuable to everyone.