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Five Years of Gilda's Club in WNY

by Megan Fitzgerald

Forever Young, March 2010

Twenty years ago, ovarian cancer took the life of Saturday Night Live star Gilda Radner. Two years later, her husband, actor Gene Wilder, and cancer psychotherapist Joanna Bull teamed up with a number of Radner's friends and founded a not-for-profit support club in her honor. The result was an enormous success, so much so that 14 years later, the first Gilda's Club opened in New York City.

Five years ago, Western New Yorkers touched by cancer walked through the doors of their own Gilda's Club, finding emotional and social encouragement from an organization that is dedicated to providing support, free of charge, to WNY.

Today, Gilda's Club WNY boasts more than 1,000 active members. They encompass a wide variety of men, women and children who have cancer themselves or who have a friend or family member with the disease. Since the first day the club opened - November 3, 2004 - there have been more than 14,000 visitors to the clubhouse on Delaware Avenue.

In celebration of the five-year anniversary, the organization hosted a number of free, open to the public activities and events in early November. "When we first opened, we had a sampler week so the public could come in and try some of our activities," says Susan Lichtblau, program director of Gilda's Club WNY. "We thought it would be fun to repeat it."

"The sampler week was to invite people who are not involved with Gilda's Club yet to come in and learn more about what our typical activities are," adds Mary Beth Karr, executive director of Gilda's Club Western New York. According to Karr, the celebration was very successful, with a large number of guests visiting and enjoying the festivities.

Ann Loretan conducts yoga class at the Delaware Ave. clubhouse. Photo courtesy of Gilda's Club.

Joan Effman and Mickey Sheldon participate in an art workshops. Photo courtesy of Gilda's Club.
Throughout the year, Gilda's Club members are welcome to participate in various groups, lectures, workshops and social events. The hope is that through participation in these programs, individuals will be able to create a support network that will help them learn how to live with cancer.

"Some people feel very isolated when they have cancer," says Karr. "It's hard for them to find a place where they feel safe talking about it, and can be confident that other people understand it."

"There is evidence that people really need to be around other people who are experiencing what they are experiencing; they need to have people to talk to," adds Lichtblau. "Some people will get that in a support group, while others will get it in a class. It really comes down to having people around."

Workshops introduce members to cooking, art, meditation, and other interesting topics. Lecture presentations educate members on various subjects, from nutrition to stress reduction.

Networking and support groups allow members with similarities to relate to one another, in both broad and specific categories. Karaoke nights, potluck suppers and movie nights provide the opportunity for members to relax and have fun.

Specialized programs include "Noogieland," which is targeted at children impacted by cancer, "Team Convene," which focuses on building a support system at particularly challenging periods of time (diagnosis or hospital stays), and "Family Focus," which aims to allow the family to learn together and become a resource for the individual with cancer.

"When we started, we picked the programs other clubs had found successful," says Lichtblau. "Now, our members decide. We meet with them individually during new member meetings and find out what they're interested in." Programming is always decided on the basis of "what people are looking for and what they want."

According to Lichtblau, yoga, nutrition and meditation sessions are favorites among the members, and for good reason; there is evidence that these healthy practices are helpful for people living with cancer. "[These programs] help them center themselves and calm themselves," says Lichtblau. "It helps with their outlook."

Though "membership" often implies a monetary payment, Gilda's Club emphasizes that participants are invited to utilize all of their services for free.

"We know that when there is cancer in a family, there are a lot of additional expenses, so we don't want this to be something that people wouldn't be able to do because they couldn't afford it," says Karr.

"We say that the people living with cancers are the experts, so they're helping each other," adds Lichtblau. "You can't charge people for what they're getting free from each other."

It's worth noting that "New Member Meetings are held every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and every Wednesday at 6 p.m. These are one-time meetings for adults with cancer and for family members and friends of people living with cancer. Call 332-5900 to make a reservation.

And free one-hour informational tour of the clubhouse - "Behind the Red Door Tours" - will be held on March 16 and April 20 at noon and at 5:30 p.m. For reservations, call Robin Vail at 332-5900 extension 207.

Plus, "The Jewelry Show," featuring the work of local artists, will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 15.

To learn more about Gilda's Club and its events, visit www.gildasclubwny.org.