GiGi’s Playhouses of Wisconsin receive $30,000 grant

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The nonprofit GiGi’s Playhouse of Wisconsin received a $30,000 check on Thursday for its work for those with disabilities.

The grant was given by The Wispact Foundation to the three Wisconsin nonprofit’s locations: Madison, Wausau and Milwaukee. The grant is a part of Wispact’s 75 Legacy Grant Donations to Wisconsin nonprofits dedicated to supporting people with disabilities.

Site Director of GiGi’s Playhouse Madison Kelly Antonson said the organization was very grateful for the donation.

”You know, $10,000 a playhouse is a substantial amount for us,” Antonson said. “We’re a small non-profit and we’re just excited to be able to use it. We use our dollars very wisely; we make them go very far.”

GiGi’s Playhouse focuses on providing education and support for individuals with Down syndrome and their families.

Antonson said they are so grateful for this generous donation because this is what allows them to run their programming free of charge to families.

”Our programs are 100 percent free for our families,” Antonson said. “We’re a nonprofit so we work really hard to bring those dollars in so we can continue expanding and growing and we all have been growing since the pandemic exponentially so the more funds that we receive, the more we can do for our families.”

GiGi’s Playhouse Madison currently serves over 360 families and continues to grow.

“We’re 501(c)(3) and while we are funded by the generosity of our community, we also run all of our programming with volunteers. So we are 99 percent volunteer-run. So people can not only give of their time but they also give of their dollars and without our incredible volunteers,” Antonson said.

GiGi’s Playhouse currently has over 100 active volunteers in Madison alone. The nonprofit is always looking for new people to volunteer their time. More information on becoming a volunteer can be found here.

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