Past GIDDI events

Finals Tabling to promote self-care during finals week-April 24, 2025

The Finals Tabling to promote self-care during finals week acted as a week-long tabling event where FGCU GIDDI was able to support students by demonstrating the importance of sensory relief during overwhelming periods of time. This event served FGCU GIDDI’s goal of making FGCU and Southwest Florida a more welcoming place for intellectual and developmental disabilities to thrive.

FGCU RISE graduation-May 01,2025

The FGCU Rise graduation was an event that the FGCU GIDDI staff was invited to support our on-campus exceptional students' graduation. This served FGCU GIDDI’s goal of creating a network of organizations that support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Best Buddies Walk for Inclusion- May 3, 2025

1. The Best Buddies Walk for Inclusion is a walk at Estero Park that brings together members of the community. FGCU GIDDI staff wore their uniforms and engaged in conversations about intellectual and developmental disabilities and the importance of supporting varied abilities in the community. This serves FGCU GIDDI’s goal of making FGCU and Southwest Florida a place for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to thrive.

Symposium: Innovations in Supporting Individuals with IDD- March 28, 2025

The Symposium: Innovations in Supporting Individuals with IDD targeted conversations on special-needs innovation in the community. Members from various Southwest Florida IDD initiatives and organizations came out to have meaningful discussions on assisting the IDD population. FGCU GIDDI’s goal to create a network of organizations that support intellectual and developmental disabilities was met through this event.

Eagle X, GIDDI representing advocacy projects - April 22, 2025

Eagle X is an exhibition of student projects at the FGCU campus, students compete for prices in research, advocacy, and community engagement. FGCU GIDDI staff was asked to judge for the advocacy portion and had students displaying physical therapy research pertaining to FGCU GIDDI. This event meets FGCU GIDDI’s goal of creating graduates who advocate for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and of creating a campus that allows them to thrive.

GIVE Day 2025- March 26, 2025

GIVE DAY is an FGCU tradition where FGCU departments encourage philanthropy from the Southwest Florida community. Tabling involves including students and encouraging them to make donations to assist their favorite on-campus departments. This meets FGCU GIDDI’s goal of creating a more welcoming FGCU and Southwest Florida community for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Eagle Expo- March 22,2025

Say Yes to the Nest is an FGCU event that invites high schoolers from the Southwest Florida area to engage with campus departments and initiatives to help decide on majors and college placement at FGCU. FGCU GIDDI represents a support system for incoming students. This meets FGCU GIDDI’s goal of making FGCU and Southwest Florida a place for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to thrive.

Kindness Event- March 24, 2025

1. The Kindness Event was an event hosted by the FGCU Roots of Campassion and Kindness (ROCK) where FGCU GIDDI was invited to have a unique activity to encourage students to welcome neurodiversity. THis event meets FGCU GIDDI’s goal os creating a campus that welcomes individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

GIVE Day 2025- March 26, 2025

GIVE DAY is an FGCU tradition where FGCU departments encourage philanthropy from the Southwest Florida community. Tabling involves including students and encouraging them to make donations to assist their favorite on-campus departments. This meets FGCU GIDDI’s goal of creating a more welcoming FGCU and Southwest Florida community for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Say Yes to The Nest - February 15, 2025

Say Yes to the Nest is an FGCU event that invites high schoolers from the Southwest Florida area to engage with campus departments and initiatives to help decide on majors and college placement at FGCU. FGCU GIDDI represents a support system for incoming students. This meets FGCU GIDDI’s goal of making FGCU and Southwest Florida a place for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to thrive.

Bloom and Brew-February 28, 2025

Bloom and Brew was an event hosted by the University’s Recreation and Wellness Center that aimed to enhance student well-being through offering different campus resources. This event provided GIDDI ambassadors with an opportunity to highlight the services available to students on campus. This event aligns with GIDDI’s mission of creating a campus that is inviting for students with IDDs and developing graduates who advocate for individuals with IDDs.

Spring Kickball Game with PiKapp and Starability-March 18, 2025

The kickball event with PiKapp and Starability is a collaboration among FGCU organizations and a local organization, featuring a friendly kickball game. This event helps GIDDI connect with a variety of organizations and allows students with IDD to get involved with more campus activities. This aligns with GIDDI’s goals of creating a campus that invites students with IDD to thrive and developing graduates who advocate for individuals with IDD. 

Soaring with Service-January 30, 2025

The Soaring for Service event acts as an outreach event for students to get involved with on-campus initiatives and to learn about what the Southwest Florida community has to offer. This meets FGCU GIDDI's goal of creating graduates that welcome neurodiversity through activities that open their eyes to varied abilities- adaptive cornhole which is shown above is a cornhole game with a beeper which allows visually impaired students to participate in this fun lawn game.

Mental Health and Special Needs Seminar- February 04, 2025

The Mental Health and Special Needs seminar was targeted to raise awareness of mental health concerns among the special needs population. Special guests from Rochester, NY were invited to present from the Golisano Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Nursing (GIDDN). This meets FGCU GIDDI’s goal of creating a network of organizations who support intellectual and developmental disabilities

First Speed Friending event with Starability -January 25, 2025

The Speed Friending GIDDI Night is targeted to expose students to interacting with other students in order to create lasting friendships. This Speed Friending event was held in collaboration with Starability and FGCU’s Office of Equity and Compliance. This event met all three of FGCU GIDDI’s goals: making FGCU and Southwest Florida a place for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to thrive, creating graduates who welcome neurodiversity, and building a network of organizations that support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Involvement Fair Spring 2025- January 17, 2025

The Involvement Fair is a great opportunity for students to meet many of the Registered Student Organizations, Sports Clubs, and Offices at FGCU.  This event helped GIDDI Ambassadors put the GIDDI name out there for students and other clubs on campus. The event aligned with all three of GIDDI’s goals of creating a campus that invites students with IDD to thrive, develop graduates who advocate for individuals with IDD, and facilitate a network of organizations who support IDD. 

 Spring 2025 First GIDDI Night - January 21, 2025

The first GIDDI Night of the Spring semester 2025. During this night GIDDI hosted a BINGO game night. GIDDI Nights are student lead event nights hosted at Module 2 on Tuesdays from 4:00-6:00pm.  This event served GIDDI in many ways by putting GIDDI’s name out there for students and opening the door to students to join. This event meets the goal of creating a campus that invites students with IDD to thrive.

 Eagle Expo-January 25, 2025

Eagle Expo is an in-depth prospective for students to tour and explore the FGCU campus, like visiting and engaging in meaningful conversations regarding all that FGCU has to offer. FGCU GIDDI highlights the importance of neurodiversity at the FGCU campus and empowers all students.

Special Olympics Fall 2024- November 08, 2024

FGCU GIDDI collaborates with Special Olympics Florida to provide volunteer opportunities for students. Students are able to assist with the sports, logistics, and setup to support the athletes with IDDs. This event helped spread the word about GIDDI and for GIDDI to learn new things. The partnership between Special Olympics and FGCU GIDDI forced on fostering community engagement and a welcoming environment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. . 

First Kickball GIDDI Night - November 19, 2024

The kickball event with PiKapp and FGCU GIDDI is a collaboration of FGCU  organizations participating in a friendly game of kickball together. This event helps GIDDI connect with a variety of organizations and allows students with IDD to get involved with more campus activities. This aligns with GIDDI’s goals of creating a campus that invites students with IDD to thrive and developing graduates who advocate for individuals with IDD. 

Race for Inclusion- December 14, 2024

The Race for Inclusion event is an annual fundraising campaign for Special Olympics Florida, supporting year round sports, health services, and a variety of leadership programs for athletes with IDDs. Race for Inclusion helped spread the word about GIDDI and for GIDDI to learn new things. This event meets GIDDI’s goals of  creating a campus that invites students with IDD to thrive, developing  graduates who advocate for individuals with IDD, and facilitating a network of organizations who support IDD. 

 Service-Learning Fair- September 19, 2024

The Service-Learning Fair connects students with local no-profit and government agencies for required service-learning hours for students. This tabling event served GIDDI in many ways by getting GIDDI’s name out on campus and inviting students to join. The goals that aligned with this event were creating a campus that invites students with IDD to thrive and facilitated a network of organizations who support IDD. 

Adaptive Sports Day 2024- October 05, 2024 

The FGCU Adaptive Sports Day is an annual, free event that is designed for individuals with disabilities to explore, engage in, and try various adaptive sports and equipment. The purpose of this event is to promote inclusion, physical activity, and mental health for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The event aligned with all three of the goals of GIDDI; creating a campus that invites students with IDD to thrive, developing  graduates who advocate for individuals with IDD, and facilitating a network of organizations who support IDD. 

Make a Difference Day- October 26, 2024

FGCU Make a Difference Day is a service event that hosts student volunteers and local nonprofits and government agencies. It fosters community connections, and offers service-learning hours. This event allowed GIDDI to present to FGCU students and staff with information on service-learning opportunities and ways to serve GIDDI. GIDDI was able to showcase that FGCU is a campus that invites students with IDD to thrive and to work with other student organizations and local members of the community who support IDD. 

The Nesting Place opened- July 18, 2024

The Nesting Place opened July 18, 2024; which is the first sensory friendly room on FGCU campus. It provides a safe space for everyone to come and take a minute or two to themselves. It is a technology free zone where students and/or staff can enjoy relaxing and take a minute to breathe. The Nesting Place serves GIDDI by putting the name out there on campus and gives students a resource to help them through the day or week. The goal that the Nesting Place meets is to create a campus that invites students with IDD to thrive. 

First GIDDI Night- September 17, 2024

The start of GIDDI Nights and of GIDDI. This GIDDI Night was a game night for anyone who wanted to join. Some of the RISE program students joined in that night. This event served GIDDI in many ways by putting GIDDI’s name out there for students and opening the door to students to join in on Tuesday nights from 4:00-6:00pm in Module 2. This event meets the goal of creating a campus that invites students with IDD to thrive. 

Involvement Fair Fall 2024

The Involvement Fair is a great opportunity for students to meet many of the Registered Student Organizations, Sports Clubs, and Offices at FGCU.  This event helped GIDDI Ambassadors put the GIDDI name out there for students and other clubs on campus. The event aligned with all three of GIDDI’s goals of creating a campus that invites students with IDD to thrive, develop graduates who advocate for individuals with IDD, and facilitate a network of organizations who support IDD.