Welcome to Up With Down!

Up With Down is a non-profit support and advocacy group for individuals with Down syndrome and their families. We are based in Des Moines and serve more than 190 families in central Iowa. 

  Up With Down has Exciting News! 

We are opening a Gigi's Playhouse in the Des Moines area!  If you haven't heard about Gigi's before, you can check out their website at www.gigisplayhouse.org   Gigi's Playhouse is a Down syndrome awareness center.  It will be a place where we can gather and our kids can play and learn.  We are very excited to make this happen!  We are shooting to have our grand opening on March 21, 2010 (World Down syndrome Day).  We are negotiating two different locations, both in the Urbandale/Clive area.  There are 4 Gigi's locations in the Chicago area and one in Sioux City, Iowa.  There are plans to open centers in Manhattan, San Diego and Atlanta also!

Our Gigi's Playhouse is operated 100% by volunteers.  All the board members are volunteering their time and energy to open this fantastic place for our kids and families.  We need more volunteers!  If you want to see more teen activities, volunteer to host game night or movie night once a month at Gigi's.  If you want to have a play day on a certain day, volunteer to host it that day so others can join you!

Our Gigi's will only have the programs that we have volunteers for; if we want to have a great selection of programs for all age groups, we need volunteers to help. 

We also have a list of items that we need for Gigi's Playhouse.  Let us know if you can help out.

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Save the Date!

2010 Buddy Walk 

August 28, 2010

Ankeny DMACC Campus

GiGi’s Playhouse Des Moines Wish List