When her daughter Maevis was born in 2019, doctors were quick to tell Rose Busque about the difficulties of raising a child with Down syndrome—but actual resources and information were much harder to come by.
When a local parents’ group told her about the
recently-opened GiGi’s Playhouse achievement center in Southfield, which provides free support and developmental therapies to people with Down syndrome of all ages, she felt the center was “magical.”
With a background in corporate events, she immediately offered to help the achievement center’s operations. Now, she’s the secretary of the executive board.
“It felt so warm and welcoming and amazing,” says Busque. “I was very eager to help fundraise and help out wherever I could.”
Unlike government support such as
Early On or programs through the school system, GiGi’s Playhouse provides free support “from prenatal all the way throughout their lives,” according to Busque.
She says this support is particularly necessary for adults with Down syndrome: “Maevis still gets physical and occupational and speech therapy at school, but as soon as she graduates, that’s it. The programs stop for her.” Since people with Down syndrome are more likely to experience health challenges, such as congenital heart disease and low muscle tone, the support that GiGi’s provides is necessary into adulthood.
Beyond developmental therapies,
GiGi’s Playhouse is an important support for parents. Shortly after joining, Busque met a mother who adopted a child with Down syndrome, which helped her see the positives of having a Down syndrome child. The all-ages community also helps parents envision what their child’s life might look like in the years to come.
GiGi’s Playhouse is a national organization with
over 60 locations—called achievement centers—worldwide, but on-the-ground operations are handled by a staff of mostly volunteers.
“The majority of the funds are going directly into our brick-and-mortar location to help keep the electric running, the heat on—all of that stuff—and then to actually run the programs,” says Busque. “The people that do all of the magic, like running our committees… all of those are volunteers.”
Being part of that volunteer community can feel enriching, and it’s a comfort to know that volunteers want to be there: “Maevis gets programs put on by a young person that has decided to volunteer their weekend for years, just because they want to see a child thrive,” says Busque.
While the Detroit achievement center is run by locals, there are benefits of belonging to a bigger organization. Most importantly, programs like “GiGi Fit” physical therapy classes come from higher up, helping volunteers provide high-quality programming.
Additionally, newer achievement centers can look to the GiGi’s Playhouse headquarters in Hoffman Estates, IL for a business roadmap. The headquarters, for instance, has a coffee shop called
Hugs & Mugs run by adults with Down syndrome, and offers career development classes through a program called
GiGi U.
“As our budget grows, we can easily say… ‘What would it take for us to open up a Hugs & Mugs? What would it take for us to do a [GiGi] University?’” says Busque. “It kind of takes the guesswork out of it.”
Busque says collaboration between advocacy organizations is important for parents of children with disabilities. “There’s no menu,” she says. “It’s up to the parents to figure that stuff out.” As such, the Detroit achievement center has collaborated with organizations such as
The Arc Detroit, which advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and
Uniquely You, a magazine for people with disabilities in Michigan. Funding and help from organizations such as the
Detroit Auto Dealers Association have helped the achievement center establish new programs.
But Busque says the most integral collaboration is through volunteering. When schools and organizations which require volunteer hours send volunteers their way, Busque says both the achievement center and the volunteers benefit.
“Every single person that comes through GiGi’s Playhouse and helps volunteer, they’re touched and changed in an incredible way. Because they do see the benefits of [having] people with Down syndrome around.”
As the Detroit achievement center looks forward, they hope to expand their physical presence. Currently all programming takes place in one location—a building in a shopping center—and Busque says establishing a space for adults with Down syndrome is important. “As you get older and you mature, you’re like, ‘I don’t want to be surrounded by kid’s toys,’” she says. “People with Down syndrome have those feelings and wants and desires too.”
The board also hopes to one day set up a Hugs & Mugs and a GiGi U.
But through it all, GiGi’s Playhouse will remain dedicated to helping people with Down syndrome achieve everything in their power. That’s why GiGi’s locations are called achievement centers: achievements are at the core of what they do.
On the playhouse
blog, the achievement center highlights the accomplishments of attendees in “Best of All” posts. Maevis, for example, was once featured for being able to sit quietly and follow directions from a program leader. And while the achievements may seem small, they’re proof not only of what GiGi’s can do, but of how far people with Down syndrome can come.
“It sounds like very basic stuff,” says Busque, “but it’s monumental for our kids.”
This story is part of the Nonprofit Journal Project, an initiative focused on nonprofit leaders and programs across Metro Detroit. This series is made possible with the generous support of our partners, the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, Michigan Nonprofit Association and Co.act Detroit.