FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): GiGi’s Playhouse, an educational and therapeutic facility that caters towards people with Down syndrome, is now open in Fort Wayne.
Hundreds came to celebrate the grand opening of GiGi’s Playhouse on North Clinton Street on Sunday, Jan. 24, according to our news partners 21Alive.
GiGi’s Playhouse offers over 30 different free therapeutic and educational programs for kids and adults of all ages. The programs target social skills, speech and language skills, gross motor development and fitness and nutrition.
The new center’s programs are created by professionals and teachers who donate their time and expertise.
“There are over 400,000 individuals nationwide with Down syndrome, and 14 children were born last year with Down syndrome in Allen County alone. It’s a growing population,” Holly Tonak, executive director of GiGi’s Playhouse in Fort Wayne, told 21Alive. “(Children with Down syndrome) don’t learn like the typical student, and so to have something like this opens up a world of possibilities for these people and these families.”
This is the 29th GiGi’s Playhouse location. The Playhouse is looking to open seven more locations in 2016. To volunteer at the new Fort Wayne location, visit GiGisPlayhouse.org.
