HOFFMAN ESTATES (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Nancy Gianni remembers, as a mother of three, when she gave birth to her youngest daughter Gigi—and doctors gave her the news.
“They didn't want to make eye contact with me. They kept sending condolences. They kept saying ‘I'm sorry.’ They even sent in the clergy,” she recalled, shaking her head.
Gianni said she couldn't believe the reaction.
"All I saw was potential in her,” she said. “All I saw was a baby. It's an incredible gift in another way."
Soon enough, she said she knew Gigi wasn't just different. She was special, but she had new challenges.
"Kids with Down's have a low muscle tone. Gigi couldn't jump. People don't even know what a gift muscles are," she said, choking back tears. "My son started teaching his sister how to jump. They have to teach their bodies to do what comes natural to all of us. When people don't see their strength, they are actually stronger than any one of us. That's when I decided to spread the word."
One in 691 kids are born with Down syndrome. Gianni also realized that there were so many more kids like Gigi, who needed a place for community and connection.
“I saw that there was this need,” she said. “We needed to show people the tremendous potential people with Down syndrome have. We have to open up opportunities for these kids. We need a place to showcase them, celebrate them and everything they are to take away this negativity surrounding this diagnosis. That's how GiGi's Playhouse was born.”
For 20 years now, GiGi's Playhouse has changed the way the world sees Down syndrome.
“We serve everyone, from prenatal diagnosis all the way to career skills,” Gianni said. “We make a lifetime commitment to these families. As soon as they walk in, they fall in love, they know they will never be alone with this diagnosis. Everyone is with us because they choose to be there. They choose to be accepting, and they choose to make someone's life better.”
The original GiGi's Playhouse is located in Hoffman Estates.
Since its launch, GiGi’s Playhouse has opened 57 Down Syndrome Achievement Centers in 83 countries.
"We're all about empowerment,” Gianni said. “Everything we do is free. Twenty years later, here we are. Hundreds of thousands have been helped by our playhouses. Not only the Down's children and adults, but their families and friends. It's always filled with energy and excitement."
"My favorite memory was seeing GiGi's for the first time," said Gigi Gianni, 20, of her namesake.
"I was young, but we've changed the world," she laughed.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary—and to double-down on its commitment to provide over 30,000 individuals and their families with free, life-changing resources and programming—the organization will host its annual “i have a voice” gala on Saturday, March 11, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel.
Funds from the gala will further GiGi’s Playhouse’s efforts to develop and provide free, life-changing programming and resources for individuals with Down syndrome and their families. Its services include one-to-one academic and career support, speech and physical therapy, and these free programs support an international network, which reaches millions each year.
“In the ’80s people with Down's only lived to be 25,” Gianni said. “Now, they are living to be in their 60s, but there are limited programs for them. The biggest killer of our adults is early onset Alzheimer's. We need to keep their brains going and bodies moving.”
Individual tickets and reservations for 10-person tables are available, as well as additional sponsorship and donation opportunities. So far, sponsors include Barrington Bank & Trust Company, Comprehensive Marketing Incorporated, Industrial Source Incorporated and Accurate Personnel Services. Learn more about the gala here.
Looking back, Gianni said she can't believe how far they've come, but she noted they still have a long way to go.
“This is the hardest part for me: Twenty years later, we need to move the needle more,” she said. “We need more acceptance. I'd love to say we're doing it better, [but] we know how to hide it better. People with disabilities are the largest marginalized group in the world, yet they have the smallest voice. We’ve got the individuals with Down syndrome ready for the world. My next 20 years is getting the world ready for them.”
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