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<\/p>\nAmanda Bucalo is a board member at Gigi\u2019s Playhouse, a Down syndrome achievement center. She has many titles. But mostly she goes by \u201cMason\u2019s mom.\u201d Mason, her son, is 7 years old and has Down syndrome.<\/p>\n
Gigi\u2019s is competing in the Giving Bowl, a bracketed competition against other non-profits vying for the chance to win $50,000. This week, Gigi\u2019s is pitted against the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, a youth mental health organization that won last year\u2019s Giving Bowl.<\/p>\n
Friday marks the end of the end of round two, and for Bucalo, the competition is about more than simply moving forward. It is about making sure more families know a place like Gigi\u2019s exists, and keeping its critical programs operating.<\/p>\n
\u201cBenefits for people with disabilities, things like therapy, speech therapy, fitness classes, yoga classes, they are dwindling,\u201d Bucalo said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing like it in the Tampa Bay. For families this is the difference between walking at 2 years old or working at 4. It can\u2019t be defined, really, the services we offer. Many insurance companies don\u2019t offer it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gigi\u2019s Playhouse Tampa is part of a national network of Down Syndrome Achievement Centers that provide free educational and therapeutic programming. For families navigating a system where services are often limited or inaccessible, that model fills a critical gap.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a parent level, it\u2019s unlike anywhere else, as it\u2019s a place we walk in and are welcome,\u201d Bucalo said. \u201cWe can fellowship with other parents, talk about the challenges and successes.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Bucalo, it is also personal. Mason moves through the space with a level of comfort that is hard to find elsewhere. \u201cIt\u2019s a place of safety and feels like home,\u201d she told the Catalyst.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ryan Pepiot<\/p>\n
That sense of community has recently been amplified by an unexpected source. Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryan Pepiot selected Gigi\u2019s Playhouse as his charity in the Giving Bowl, bringing new attention to the organization at a pivotal moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cRyan joined us with another player, Jack Burger, over the summer,\u201d Bucalo said. \u201cAfterward, an energy caught onto them. It was apparent when he left that he was on board.\u201d<\/p>\n
His continued involvement, including attending a recent Down syndrome event with his wife, has helped energize both families and supporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen anybody, big or small, dives into helping with the playhouse, it\u2019s heart-warming,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd certainly with someone who could take his spotlight and put it anywhere else, but he gave it to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, with the deadline approaching this Friday (March 27) at 4:30 p.m., and the matchup against last year\u2019s winner adds a layer of urgency.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo matter what, the Giving Bowl puts Gigi\u2019s Playhouse at center stage,\u201d Bucalo noted.<\/p>\n
Still, the financial stakes are significant. The $50,000 prize would go directly toward keeping programs running and expanding accessibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe pay our own rent. Buy our own supplies for cooking classes. Pay the speech therapists,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to be really good stewards of the money we do have, but the additional $50,000 would help keep our doors open.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Bucalo, more than 1,000 participants are actively involved with the playhouse. For many, access remains a challenge, especially for adults who cannot easily get themselves to the facility. Additional funding could help address that gap, including the possibility of transportation that would bring participants to programs and into the broader community.<\/p>\n
Beyond logistics, Bucalo says the heart of Gigi\u2019s is the people inside it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of the adults at Gigi\u2019s give me hope for what my own son could do,\u201d she said, reflecting on her early days after Mason\u2019s diagnosis. She now sees that potential realized every day, from individuals who attend programs to those who arrive from jobs and homes they manage on their own.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnybody looking for a purpose in their life, they will find it at Gigi\u2019s Playhouse,\u201d she said, describing the community she has found as \u201cthe lucky few,\u201d and says the experience has reshaped how she sees ability, connection and joy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a gift meeting someone with unconditional love and energy as our friends with Down syndrome,\u201d Bucalo said. \u201cIt\u2019s a gift to know them, be around them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amanda Bucalo is a board member at Gigi\u2019s Playhouse, a Down syndrome achievement center. She has many titles.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":204343,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-204342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}