Warwick MAY 21, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXVI • NO 11
GiGi’s Playhouse celebrates Down syndrome every day
Aaron’s Acres plans summer camps
BY JEFF FALK
BY JEFF FALK
Different families were coming in. Grandparents were joining with families. It was loud, fun and exciting.” In all, about 150 people visited GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster o n Wo r l d D o w n S y n d ro m e Day. The only Down syndrome
There is simply nothing like one-on-one connections, human touch and personal interaction. They can lift spirits and change lives. Those types of interactions are what Aaron’s Acres is built upon, and collectively they are the driving force behind the local nonprofit’s original program, summer camp. “We accept participants with all disabilities,” said Elaine Burnett, who’s been a program director at Aaron’s Acres for 12 years. “Their needs vary, from hand over hand to behavior assistance to emotional and communicative assistance. With 1-on-1 or 1-on-2 staffing, we’re able to meet those needs. We’re able to meet those participants where they’re at. It helps us meet the child where their need is right now.” “ The traditional summer camp usually has a 1-to-6 or 1-to-8 counselor-to-participant ratio,” Burnett added. “But we’re able to assist and modify concerns right there and now.” This year’s edition of Aaron’s Acres summer camps will be held over three two-week sessions - June 16 to 27, July 7
See GiGi’s Playhouse pg 4
See Aaron’s Acres pg 2
Individuals celebrate World Down Syndrome Day at GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster.
celebrated from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and was marked by discovery, fellowship and inclusion. As part of the festivities, a group of GiGi’s Playhouse clients visited Lancaster County Christian School and a group of Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 students and Pennsylvania
state Rep. Nikki Rivera visited GiGi’s Playhouse and toured the Manheim Township facilities. “It was just a festive day, a day of awareness and celebration,” said Hewitt. “ The playhouse was decorated with balloons and glitter. Music was playing.
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orld Down Syndrome Day doesn’t celebrate our differences. World Down Syndrome Day celebrates why we’re all special. On March 21, at 2501 Oregon Pike, GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster added its own special twists to World Down Syndrome Day. “Down syndrome is not a condition,” said Kevin Hewitt, president of GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster’s seven-person advisory board. “People with Down syndrome aren’t suffering. They’re just different. They might have challenges that other people don’t have. Sometimes they’re challenged physically. They might be challenged in their cognitive abilities.” “In the past, people with Down syndrome tended to get pushed aside,” continued Hewitt. “General acceptance is what World Down Syndrome Day is all about. (People with Down syndrome) are often misunderstood, and sometimes they’re bullied. Our mission is to change the way the world views Down syndrome.” That Friday in late March at the Lancaster location of GiGi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Center, World Down Syndrome Day was
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