From Cars to Community Impact: DADA Funding Fuels GiGi’s Playhouse Programs
Each year, during the Detroit Auto Show Charity Preview, individuals learn more about the nonprofit organizations supporting the Detroit community. Beneficiaries of this event’s fundraising efforts include the Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. Each year, DADA distributes grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to charities in the Detroit region, including a place where individuals with Down syndrome can receive love and support.
GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit, located in the Southfield shopping center, is the only brick-and-mortar facility in Michigan that offers free programs for individuals with Down syndrome, said Kathleen Tynes, program coordinator for GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit, in an interview with WXYZ-TV. “We see probably about an average of 85 individuals with Down syndrome a month come through our doors,” she said. “Our youngest participant is only a couple of months old, and our oldest participant is 45 years old.”
Marking its sixth year of operations in 2025, GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit provides programs ranging from art and dance to cooking and practical skills. Tynes said that DADA’s Charitable Fund grants have been a lifeline for the organization’s physical fitness and language development programs.
“We’ve had this [language] program since the fall of 2021, and it’s our most popular program. We have a lot of families who come just for speech therapy and they’re not able to get it elsewhere … to have that support from the Detroit Auto Dealers Association was paramount,” Tynes added.
According to DADA leadership, the Charitable Fund has contributed more than $7 million to nearly 200 charities since 1999.
Learn more about the DADA Charitable Fund and find out how you can get involved in the mission of GiGi’s Playhouse Detroit online.
