Gigi's Playhouse In Lakewood Gets $15,000 Grant

LAKEWOOD, OH — The Down syndrome achievement center Gigi's Playhouse received a $15,000 tech grant this week from Cox Communications. The grant will allow Gigi's staff to purchase light tables, tablet devices, a smart board and more.

"We're so excited," Lizz Maxwell, the Gigi's Playhouse Cleveland site coordinator, told Patch. "We're thrilled to take our mission to the next level. Technology is a part of everything now."

Gigi's Playhouse works to change the way people with Down syndrome are perceived in society. The facility offers both therapeutic and career advancing programs for students, both of which will be enhance using the grant money.

The funding will free up Gigi's staffers to be more hands-on and less computer-bound. Instruction will become more efficient, the company said.

“GiGi’s Playhouse is an organization that empowers people with Down syndrome and their families throughout Northeast Ohio by maximizing opportunities for daily achievement and lasting acceptance,” said Rob Brill, Cleveland market vice president, Cox Communications. “We are confident they will use their Tech Boost to enhance their programs and prepare our youth for the jobs of the future so that they can contribute in deeply meaningful ways.”

Cox Communications Tech Boosts program's mission is to invest in tech equipment which will enrich the lives of residents and customers. The company issues the grants in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Ohio. Gigi's Playhouse on Detroit Avenue was the only recipient of the grant in Ohio.