People with Purpose has had a long-standing relationship with GiGi’s Playhouse, volunteering with the organization over the last 7 years and visiting about 2-3 times a year. The crew helps clean, sort, and package outreach and awareness kits and most recently worked on getting items ready for GiGi’s upcoming fundraiser.

“GiGi’s is 99% volunteer run so having the PWP group come with several participants is beneficial because they can complete many projects in the short time they are here. It’s also beneficial because we love working with other organizations that serve some of the same families,” said Pam Lynch, Site Director for the Moline-based nonprofit. Lynch wears many hats as the person who oversees fundraising, welcoming new families, community outreach, marketing and more.

GiGi’s Playhouse is a Down Syndrome Achievement Center that provides free educational and therapeutic programs for individuals with Down syndrome. Their mission is to change the way the world views Down syndrome by educating the community and empowering individuals and their families. Hand in Hand and Gigi’s Playhouse share a lot of the same participants, so the partnership felt like a natural fit. We even partner to host our annual Quad Cities Family Fair which brings together over 20 disability-focused organizations in the Quad Cities as a one-stop resource for busy Quad Cities families.

Since GiGi’s Playhouse is 99% volunteer run, volunteers are always needed. If you’d like to get involved like our People with Purpose group, you can visit https://gigisplayhouse.org/quadcities/volunteer. The organization is always looking for program leaders, host families, program volunteers, administrative volunteers, cleaning and organization volunteers, tutors, to be on the board of managers, or helping with their special events and fundraisers. GiGi’s is also 100% privately funded meaning that donations (monetary or in-kind) are also always appreciated.