We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lizz Maxwell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lizz thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?

I’m thankful to have countless heartwarming stories to look back on over my 20+ year career. I can recall several moments of pure joy and celebration, overcoming obstacles, and perseverance that has taken place over the past almost eight years at GiGi’s Playhouse Cleveland. One in particular that sticks out to me is a heartwarming story of a beautiful, unexpected reunion. One day several years ago, we had a woman walk into the Playhouse wanting to learn about what we do and discuss the potential idea of volunteering here. We got to talking and she shared fond memories of when she was younger and growing up with a girl with Down syndrome who was around her age. She said she remembered their families getting together and swimming at her house. She even remembered a specific instance where the girl went to go jump off her diving board, was first overcome with fear, but worked up enough courage to do so. She shared specifics about where she lived and I asked her if she remembered her friend’s name from childhood. “Oh yes!” and she shared her name. I gasped! The little girl from her childhood was actually in the Playhouse that day, helping me organize and clean the toys! I led her over to her and the reunion was a beautiful one! Tears fell as they both remembered each other and the pool! I’m thankful for the incredible, magical moments of life that have taken place inside the walls of this Playhouse over the years. They sneak up on us and invite us into that beauty as we realize that life is such a beautiful gift and our friends with Down syndrome are amazing humans with abilities and lives that deserve dignity and respect. I can’t wait for the next story to emerge!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Growing up, I was spending my days on a softball field, basketball, or volleyball court. Sports has helped define me and giving me the tools to be a great teammate and a servant leader. Several school years involved going to a speech-language pathologist to help with my stutter, not realizing at the time how impactful that time spent with her would be. I graduated from Notre Dame College and became a high school teacher and softball coach. I quickly learned over the years how passionate I was for the underdog and grew to advocate for them, regardless of their story or ability. I stepped away from my career to have my second child, and after two years, my husband and I knew it was time for me to enter the career world again. I was thrilled when I learned of GiGi’s Playhouse at the end of 2015. I began there in January 2016 as the Site Coordinator. Four years later, I was promoted to Site Director and have been incredibly grateful to serve our Down syndrome community for the last 7.5 years. Our Down syndrome achievement center offers free therapeutic, educational and career development programs for people with Down syndrome and their families throughout Northeast Ohio. We are one of 58 Playhouses in our network worldwide and our Virtual Playhouse serves families in over 86 countries. We are 99% run and are 100% funded through private donations, grants and fundraisers. From group fitness and nutrition programs, music therapy, social opportunities, occupational and physical therapy, and one-on-one math and literacy tutoring, we provide support in a variety of therapeutic areas for our participants and families that develop and support each person as a whole. In addition to the programming, we provide in the Playhouse, we also focus on outreach in the community – through school presentations, professional development and IEP support, as well as partnerships and collaborations with local hospitals, therapies, and community organizations. GiGi’s Playhouse is breaking down barriers and changing the way the world views people with Down syndrome. I am a better person, and my family are better people because of these amazing, determined friends of mine.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

My personal philosophy centers around servant leadership. In order to successfully lead, we must serve. We must serve our customers, our families, volunteers, donors. What we do and why we do it should boil down to helping others win, in whatever way that looks like for each person or situation. “The goal of many leaders is to get people to think more highly of the leader. The goal of a great leader is to help people to think more highly of themselves.” – J. Carla Nortcutt

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

It’s important to love what you do. What’s that saying? “If you love what you do, you never have to work a day in your life.” When you enjoy your career, and in my case, the passion to advocate and do what I can to raise awareness and acceptance for people with Down syndrome still burns fiercely within me, it sets off a ripple effect in our Playhouse and our community. Serving with joy, even when it’s hard, I think makes people want to join your team and your efforts. I have such an incredible team full of the fiercest, loyal world changers who are not only raising the bar on our purposeful programs but elevating the expectations and joyfully in the trenches with me advocating for our community. Again, it’s that ripple effect that produces the change and breaks down those barriers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gigisplayhouse.org/cleveland/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gigisplayhousecle/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gigisplayhousecleveland
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gigisplayhousecleveland/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/GiGisCLE
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gigisplayhousecleveland/videos

Image Credits
All pictures were taken by Playhouse staff and a parent.