June 2014 Gilda’s Club New York City creates welcoming communities of free support for everyone living with cancer – men, women, teens and children – along with their families and friends. Our innovative program is an essential complement to medical care, providing support and networking groups, workshops, educational lectures and social activities, all free of charge. Cocktails: 6:00pm Dinner: 7:30pm IN THIS ISSUE The 7th Annual Benefit Luncheon Celebrating Women Working & Living with Cancer 7th Annual Benefit Luncheon Announcing: The EMCOR Penguin Pink Hard Hat Ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness Month November 13, 2014 The Pierre Hotel Save the Date Celebrating Our Family 19th Annual Benefit Gala GCNYC Associate Board: Young professionals making a difference Gilda’s Club New York City 195 West Houston Street New York, NY 10014 (212) 647-9700 www.gildasclubnyc.org @gildasclubnyc #gildasclubnyc GCNYC Celebrates 19 Years Member Spotlight: Mary Elizabeth Williams GCNYC represents at the EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women & TD Five Boro Bike Tour New! Gilda Comes To You adds Mt. Sinai to its list Photo by: Rob Rich/SocietyAllure.com L-R: Anna Protopapas, Jami Rubin, Amy Robach, Fran Heller, Mary Elizabeth Williams, Lily Safani More than 270 guests helped to raise over $356,000 for Gilda’s Club New York City at this year’s soldout 7th annual benefit luncheon, Celebrating Women Working & Living with Cancer, held on May 14th at the Metropolitan Club of New York. Anna Protopapas, President of Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company and Global Head of Business Development at Takeda Pharmaceuticals received the Red continued on page 5 … The EMCOR Penguin Pink Hard Hat Ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness Month We are very excited to announce What is this event you might ask? that Gilda’s Club NYC was chosen Begun six years ago, this national to be the beneficiary of the EMCOR campaign involves thousands of Penguin Pink Hard Hat Event for continued on page 3 … Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 1 Board of Directors Robert J. Easton, Chairman Mark J. Alles Laura Bartlett Rob Bochicchio Brian Cohen Anthony N. Dalessio Robert C. Faulkner Amanda Goddard, PhD Carl S. Goldfischer, MD Sharyn N. Lewin, MD Ellen A. Lubman Matthew R. Patterson Michael J. Posillico Andrea F. Rabney Jami Rubin Francis J. Russo Anthony J. Sartor Alexander Scott William Slattery Associate Board Krista Gundersen, Chair Julia Bartlett Tracey Doolin Whitnee Glinski Courtney Greenspan Blaike A. Hannay Maxwell Horn Megan Knurr Jessica Krieger Rachel Krieger Andrew Levison Rada Milenovici Ellie Newman Bridgette Payne Ashley Sampson Ari Schnitzer Jaclyn Steinhart John Switzer Jessica Trujillo Stefani Zien Staff Lily Safani, CEO Migdalia Torres Deborah K. Wilson Nadine Bartholomew Christine Braunstein Joshua Fesi Michele Halusic Carolina Hoires Eileen Jackson Michelle Marte Ramona Maysonet Jordan Patinkin Michelle Ramlochan Nicole Randall Pontip Rasavong Young Professionals Making a Difference Since 2007, the Associate Board (AB) of Gilda’s Club NYC has been devoting its time and energy to supporting GCNYC through fundraising, participating in activities such as the NYC Marathon and TD 5 Boro Bike Tour, and volunteering at numerous internal and external events. These young professionals and philanthropic individuals are generous in their commitment to Gilda’s Club as evidenced by their recent fundraiser, The Gildie Awards. Held this year at the music landmark Webster Hall on April 10th, the 3rd annual event attracted more than 125 individuals who enjoyed music by DJ Whitney and band Temporary Grace as well as delicious shrimp rolls donated by Luke’s Lobster and intoxicating libations from Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Palm Ale, and Fire Island Beer Company. The highlight of the evening was a moving speech by a young Gilda’s Club member, Emma Burger, who read from her 2012 award winning essay she had written for GCNYC’s “It’s Always Something” Teen Essay Contest. Rebecca Zorowitz Oren of Ooh La La Brands received the Heart of Gold Award and Board Chair, Krista Gundersen, received an award for her dedication and leadership to the AB and Gilda’s Club. We are excited to include Mount Sinai Hospital as one of our newest Gilda Comes To You (GCTY) partners. Our partnership kicked off with a community breakfast reception on Wednesday, May 28th at the Ruttenberg Center. The program will offer a weekly Spanish speaking cancer support group, educational workshops and lectures beginning mid-June. More than $12,000 was raised that evening to support our program. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to The Gildie Awards co-chairs, Ashley Sampson and Ari Schnitzer, and the entire board for making this such a successful event. Gilda Comes to You is our offsite programming which allows Gilda’s Club NYC to extend cancer support to communities throughout the boroughs of New York City. If you are interested in learning more about the AB or would like to be on the invite list for AB events and activities, please contact: Michelle Ramlochan at [email protected] Clubhouse Lecture Health Literacy: The Most Important Tool for Your Health The AB and friends will be hosting its first Friday Happy Hour at City Winery on Friday, June 20 from 5:30-7:30. RSVPs are not necessary and all are welcome. June 12 Clubhouse Lecture Becoming a Parent After Cancer A Surrogacy Journey Social events will be scheduled throughout the summer. Please refer to the AB page on our website for updated listings. June 13 Member Event GCNYC Birthday Party June 20 Associate Board Networking Event City Winery Happy Hour Photos by: Wonderpug Graphics /Carolann Dematos 2 Celebration On Thursday, May 8th, members along with their family and friends celebrated at our Fiesta Social Event. The festivities included lively music and Latin dance instruction by Steve Kerner! Thank you to El Toro Blanco for donating their delicious chips, salsas and guacamole and Cowgirl BBQ for donating their awesome chili, corn bread and brownie bites. For more information about any of the listed events, please visit our website at www.gildasclubnyc.org under Special Events or email [email protected] June 3 Looking forward... Fiesta MARK YOUR CALENDAR JUNE GildaGram Publication of the Development Office Deborah Wilson, Director of Development Pontip Rasavong, Development and Marketing Communications Associate Gilda’s Club New York City, Inc. 195 West Houston Street • New York, NY 10014 (212) 647-9700 • [email protected] www.gildasclubnyc.org • @gildasclubnyc Gilda Comes To Mount Sinai Hospital June 30 Clubhouse Lecture Chemobrain: How New Research can Help Survivors and Loved Ones Understand and Cope Effectively JULY July 4 Clubhouse Closed July 10 Associate Board Event Summer Mixer for Young Professionals SEPTEMBER September 30 Breakfast Club Series Topic TBD OCTOBER October 7 Special Event EMCOR Penguin Pink Hard Hat Ribbon NOVEMBER November 2 TCS NYC Marathon November 13 Benefit Event 19th Anniversary Benefit Gala All Clubhouse Lectures are free and open to the public. Please call 212.647.9700 to register. 7 Gilda’s Club NYC Teams Make Their Miles Count The first weekend in May is always an exciting time at Gilda’s Club NYC. On Saturday May 3rd, staff members, Gilda’s Club program participants, and family and friends joined together in support of the EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women in New York City. This year, Gilda’s Club had 24 volunteers and 52 awesome team members raised over $8,000 towards the fight against women’s cancers. … continued from page 1 We are truly honored to be a part of such an amazing event and extremely grateful for being a beneficiary for the 16th year in a row. Thank you to EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women, and all of our team members and volunteers for making this day so beautiful. EMCOR employees across the U.S. wearing EMCOR Penguin Pink Hard Hats on its job sites throughout the month of October and also forming huge human Pink Hard Hat Ribbons. Protect Yourself. Get Screened Today. HELP US REACH OUR GOAL! donatenow.networkforgood.org/ emcorpenguinpinkhardhatribbon On Sunday May 4th, members of Gilda’s Bike Team made their way to the starting line of the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour. They joined more than 32,000 riders to bike 40 miles through Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. The team raised over $20,000 for Gilda’s Club and we couldn’t be more proud. Congratulations on completing the ride and a heartfelt thanks for your commitment to making a difference. In New York City, the Pink Hard Hats will have the logos of Gilda’s Club NYC, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., and EMCOR Penguin. More than 700 people from our community, employees from EMCOR Penguin, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. and Gilda’s Club NYC will gather on October 7th at the Alexandria Center for Life Science-NYC to form the largest Human Pink Ribbon ever in New York City. This campaign, which officially launched on June 2nd, has a goal to raise more than $100,000 for Gilda’s Club. Visit www.gildasclubnyc.org to see how you can help, and to learn more about the The EMCOR Penguin Pink Hard Hat Event. Gilda’s Club NYC Celebrates 19 Years! DID YOU KNOW? It’s hard to believe that 2014 marks 19 years since we’ve opened our red door to provide free social and emotional support to anyone living with cancer…and next year will mark our 20th Birthday! • Gilda Radner, our namesake, passed away from ovarian cancer in 1989. • Gene Wilder (Radner’s husband), Mandy Patinkin, Joel Siegel, Alan Zweibel, and other friends of Radner’s, founded our NYC West Village clubhouse in a beautiful old townhouse on West Houston Street. • More than 7,500 individuals have become members of GCNYC since we first opened our iconic red door in 1995. • There are more than 11,000 visits annually by members and individuals to our clubhouse and external sites. • We deliver our free program offsite at our hospital partners in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. • Educational lectures at the Clubhouse are free and open to the public. 6 • We currently have 26 weekly support groups. 3 Mary Elizabeth Williams The 7th Annual Benefit Luncheon Celebrating Women Working & Living with Cancer Member Speaker at the 7th Annual Benefit Luncheon I initially got involved with Gilda’s Club for the same reason I suspect many of us here today make most of the decisions in our lives. I did it for my family. I had recently been rediagnosed with cancer, and it was bad. I was stage 4, and I was about to begin a brand new clinical trial that was likely my only hope. (Spoiler: I survived.) But cancer doesn’t just happen to the patient. It hits all the people close to her. And I knew that my spouse and two young daughters needed support as much as I did. Throughout the difficult weeks and months that followed, Tuesdays became the most important night of the week because on Tuesdays, we came to Gilda’s. The girls went to Noogieland, Jeff went to the caretaker group, and I went to my wellness group. But in addition to the support groups, our family soon availed ourselves of pretty much everything else Gilda’s has to offer. I could talk all day about the services Gilda’s … continued from page 1 and I stood at the gathering talking to our other friends, until at a certain point I could hear laughter from the back of the room. I looked over and I saw this boy, who had just lost his father, playing with my girls. Like regular kids. And in that laughter I heard love. That is what I want to tell you that Gilda’s does. Today, I’m very lucky to be cancer free. But not long ago I asked my younger daughter, who was 6 when I was first diagnosed, what she remembers about me from before I got cancer. And she told me: Nothing. “I looked over and I saw this boy, who had just lost his father, playing with my girls. Like regular kids. And in that laughter I heard love.” To be honest, sometimes I don’t remember who I was before cancer either. It’s intense to know that your child’s entire understanding of her mother, and by extension her childhood, will always be filtered through the lens of the disease that almost killed you. What makes it okay is Gilda’s Club. Because our family’s experience of cancer will always also be about the friends we made. The lessons we learned. And all the new memories we made. provides to its members -- the lectures and the classes and family movie night and Camp Sparkle, a free day camp services for children whose families are affected by cancer. I could talk about how I fundraised and trained with Gilda’s marathon team while I was in treatment, and how meaningful it was to feel like not just a patient, but an athlete. But mostly I want to tell you about one night. When you’re in a cancer community, sometimes you have loss. On this night, we had gone to pay our respects to a friend. His wife had been in the caretaker group with Jeff, and his son had been in Noogieland with my kids. Jeff Cancer can be a pretty chaotic situation, and it’s hard not to feel helpless. But whether we’re young or old, well or unwell, there’s always something we have control over, and it turns out it’s one of the most important things of all. It’s how we choose to love each other. I know this, because I’ve experienced it here. For all that cancer took away from my family and me, there’s so much we’ve been given. For all we can’t remember, there’s so much we’ll never forget. So I’d like to say thank you today to Gilda’s Club. And thank you to all of you for supporting it, and families like mine. 4 Door Award and Fran Heller, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb received the Gilda Award. on page 4). Both had incredibly touching stories which preceded the paddle raise, making this event the most successful luncheon ever. ABC News Anchor and breast cancer survivor Amy Robach was the guest speaker and host. Ms. Robach shared her own cancer journey with the guests as did Gilda’s Club member Mary Elizabeth Williams (read Mary Elizabeth’s speech “We are thrilled to have such an amazing guest speaker and distinguished honorees at our benefit luncheon. These women have made significant contributions in their respective fields that have helped to improve the quality of life for cancer patients. At Gilda’s Club, our focus is on providing a comprehensive cancer support program to anyone living with cancer – men, women, children and teens – 100% free of charge,” states Lily Safani, CEO of GCNYC. We are very grateful for the support of our sponsors and donors who believe in our mission that no one should face cancer alone. Special Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors Platinum Benefactors Red Door Benefactors “It’s Always Something” Benefactor Goddard Family Foundation Roseanne Roseannadanna Patron Jami Rubin Goldman Sachs Lisa Loopner Patrons Argot Partners • Covington & Burling LLP Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. • Joan & Bob Easton Faber Daeufer & Itrato PC • Forest City Enterprises KPMG LLP • Lazard • William S. Slattery Esta Eiger Stecher • WilmerHale In-Kind Donors Alex Anthony Salon • Aveda • Belle Fleur New York • Blue Ribbon Bakery Kitchen • Candle 79 Carbone • City Winery • Crazy Sexy Wellness, LLC • Dirt Candy • Echo Design • Mike Fine Forbidden Broadway NYC • Grand Life Hotels Great Performances • Hard Rock Café Times Square • Jack’s Stir Brew Coffee Joanna Vargas Salon • Kimara Ahnert KPMG LLP • La Roche-Posay • Jeffrey Lenobel Loews Hotels • Molton Brown • Mona Smith Jewelry • Silvana Palazzolo • Penguin Air • Pera Physical Equilibrium • Reebok Sports Club/NY Revlon • Damon Risucci • Satya Jewelry Stand Up NY • The Clam • Tumbador Chocolate More photos on our Facebook page! 5
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