GILDAS CLUB CHICAGO
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Mission Statement
Gilda’s Club Chicago uplifts and strengthens people impacted by cancer by providing support, fostering compassionate communities, and breaking down barriers to care.
About This Cause
Gilda’s Club Chicago supports individuals and family members facing cancer in the Chicago area, providing access to a community of peers and professionals ready to help them address the challenges of a cancer diagnosis. GCC meets its members where they are – physically, emotionally, and medically – providing personalized assistance and free resources that include support and networking groups, short-term individual counseling, educational workshops, healthy lifestyle programs, resource referrals, and social opportunities. GCC’s customizable program model ensures services are tailored to each participant and meet their specific challenges, whether it is gaining skills to more effectively communicate with their medical team, talking with others in a support group, or learning how to cope with the psychological and medical side effects of treatment. Cancer also has a life-changing impact on family members and caregivers. Gilda’s Club’s Family and Youth Services provide support for children and teens impacted by cancer, including GCC@School, the Red Door Squad for teens, and targeted support groups and special programs for young adults. Gilda’s Club Chicago was founded in 1998 as an independent affiliate of Gilda’s Club Worldwide, started as a result of comedian Gilda Radner's experience with ovarian cancer. Chicago philanthropist Ann Lurie was committed to establishing a Gilda's Club in Chicago and purchased and renovated the current Clubhouse building at 537 N. Wells Street. The Club opened on February 14, 1998, as an independent 501c3 organization. In 2009, Gilda’s Club affiliates merged with The Wellness Community, creating the Cancer Support Community (CSC), a global nonprofit network of 175 locations, including CSC and Gilda's Club locations, which are still independently operated and funded. CSC provides its local affiliates, including Gilda’s Club Chicago, with cutting edge program tools and research on the emotional, psychological, and financial journey of cancer patients. In 2012, Gilda's Club Chicago was the first CSC affiliate to open a hospital satellite site, and GCC now operates Clubhouse sites at four main hospital partners: Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University Medical Center; Lurie Children's Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Advocate Christ Medical Center. Gilda's Club Chicago celebrated 25 years of service in 2023 and has provided more than 60,000 individuals living with cancer with a supportive community and comprehensive menu of programs that are proven to decrease distress, help participants feel in control of their diagnosis and treatment, and experience an improved quality of life. Through a hybrid service model, GCC pairs online services that are available 24/7, with in-person activities provided at the flagship Clubhouse downtown and at hospital sites (Mount Sinai Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, Lurie Children's Hospital, Advocate Christ Medical Center, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Ascension St. Mary and Ascension St. Joseph hospitals), as well as neighborhood-based locations that partner with Gilda’s Club to make services available directly within communities. GCC’s innovative program, including more than 350 free activities each month, is an essential complement to medical care.