21-03-2025
Mom, daughter talk to United Nations about Down Syndrome
(NewsNation) — Friday marks World Down Syndrome Day, which is meant to educate people about the diagnosis.
On Thursday, Gigi Gianni, the 22-year-old namesake and chief inspiration officer for Gigi's Playhouse and her mother, Nancy, who founded the organization, went to speak about their experience at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Gigi's Playhouse is a non-profit that supports families and those with Down Syndrome by giving them education, therapy and eventually helping with building career skills, all for free.
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Gigi Gianni says she was happy to speak to the United Nations about her journey.
At the UN, Nancy Gianni said seeing her daughter talk about how she matters and is valued 'meant everything to me.'
When Gigi Gianni was first born, Nancy said, the family knew there was a stigma about Down Syndrome.
'Once we got her home and saw what an amazing person she was back then and still is today, we opened the first Gigi's Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Center,' Nancy Gianni said.
Now, it has 61 locations, and serves families in 93 countries.
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