Building independence, free of charge

For the past five years, GiGi’s Playhouse Wausau has been quietly redefining what the future looks like for individuals with Down syndrome. Since opening its doors in December 2020, the local achievement center has grown to offer robust programming focused on meaningful development and lifelong independence.

Operating entirely free of charge, GiGi’s Playhouse Wausau functions as a lifelong support system for individuals with Down syndrome and their families. The 99% volunteer-run center provides a suite of educational and therapeutic programs spanning from infancy to age 64.

“We’re a true nonprofit. We do not bill your Medicare/Medicaid, we have nothing tied to insurance,” said Erica Erdman, founder and manager of the Wausau center. “Everything is designed to be free for families. What we really do is provide programming that’s educational, therapeutic and career development focused.”

By offering tailored resources — such as multi-sensory math and reading tutoring, physical core-building exercises and hands-on career training — the organization actively builds participants’ confidence, fosters independence and works to shift the broader community’s perception of their capabilities.

The Playhouse has programing for every stage of life, and even offers guidance to mother’s who have received a prenatal diagnosis. For Erdman, the journey to establishing this local resource started with her son.

“We discovered the Playhouse network because we have to go to Madison [for medical service] and that’s where I would build in a visit to the Playhouse down there knowing we had a two-week stint at the children’s hospital,” she said.

After witnessing first-hand the benefits Playhouse programming offered, Erdman began work on establishing a local center within the Gigi’s Playhouse network, which was finally realized in late 2020.

“We’re considered the smallest playhouse in the network, which is really interesting because we do input just as many hours as a pretty decent-sized Playhouse like Denver or Tampa,” Erdman said.

The center fills a desperate need for central and northern Wisconsin families, with individuals traveling regularly from as far north as Land O’ Lakes (on the U.P. border) for programming. But that’s no surprise when considering it’s the only place in the region that actively prepares its participants to enter the workforce or live independently on their own terms. Each area of programming, whether it’s mathematics, reading, physical activity or something else, is designed to supplement education and deliver practical benefits in a holistic approach.

“It’s about building confidence and independence,” Erdman said. “The goal is to help with the cognitive delay. We’re not designed to replace school. We’re not designed to replace outside therapies. We’re designed to supplement them.”

One example of this is the kitchen at Gigi’s Playhouse, one of the most popular places for practical learning and skill development.

“For our teens and adults it’s about looking at a recipe,” Erdman explained. “Can you read the recipe? Can we break it down? What are the ingredients? How can we make it more healthy? Or can you swap out things? It’s about a nutrition component, but then it’s also about kitchen safety. If we’re using a stove we want to make sure you’re safe while using that stove. Or knife safety. And then it’s making that shared meal together.”

New to the Playhouse is the outdoor therapeutic garden, where clients build compost and plant and pick vegetables to use in the kitchen or at picnics. During the season, they’ll also participate in a farmers market, adding business skills, social interaction and mathematics to the garden program.

“When you look at the benefits of getting dirty in the garden and watching things grow from seed to produce, it’s a confidence builder,” Erdman said. “There’s really a therapeutic benefit tied to it.”

Thousands of hours of Playhouse programming is made possible each year by the efforts of volunteers and the support of the local community. Certain stations and rooms at the Playhouse are sponsored by local businesses. Other items are donated by local groups or individuals, like a local girl scout troop that sold slime to raise funds to purchase a basketball hoop for the Playhouse gym. It’s a community-wide effort.

One easy opportunity for the community to support Gigi’s Playhouse is their annual 5K Glow Fun Run, held this year on June 13.

“Our 5K is our largest event. We set a goal and we get sponsorships for it, but then that’s peer-to-peer fundraising. Anyone in the community can create a team,” Erdman said. “It’s the most unique 5K that really exists in our area because there’s grown men showing up with dyed green hair and tutus.”

For more information on Gigi’s Playhouse, or the upcoming 5K, visit gigisplayhouse.org/wausau.