By Harriet Schiftan, MSW, MAJCS President and CEO I’m hearing lots of post-pandemic predictions that we will take many of our newly adopted habits and newly learned skills with us into our “next normal”. We may like having a couple of weekly meetups via Zoom, rather than driving across town to attend a nighttime meeting…
Read MoreCategory: GildaGram Newsletter
Young Professionals Shine at Gilda’s Club
This article originally appeared in our January 2021 Gilda Gram. Gilda’s Club is fortunate to have an Associate Board (AB) comprised of young professionals supporting our mission. We recently sat down with Gilda’s Club President and CEO Harriet Schiftan, Director of Development and Associate Board Liaison Hayley Levy, and Associate Board Chair Anne Fletcher to…
Read MoreAs Gilda Often Said, “It’s Always Something”
By Hayley Levy Director of Development As Gilda’s Club’s namesake Gilda Radner used to say, “It’s always something!” Many of you have seen this phrase on our T-shirts and stickers, or perhaps you’ve read Gilda’s memoir It’s Always Something*; she used it for just about anything that came her way, including her cancer. Today, Gilda’s…
Read MoreThe Magic Is Still Happening
By Allison Yonker, LMSW Program Director What a year. For all the pivots, adjustments, and shuffling we’ve all had to do this year, at least one thing has remained the same. Gilda’s Club continues to create community, so no one has to face cancer alone. When we made the decision to suspend in-person activities at…
Read MoreThe Power of Community Partnerships
By Harriet Schiftan, MSW, MAJCS President and CEO Last week, we held our final special event of the 2020 calendar year: The annual Gilda’s Club Golf Classic. As members of our team were packing up at the end of the day and recalling the many unique events-related challenges we’ve overcome this year (Hello, virtual Songwriters…
Read MoreExecuting On Our Strategic Priorities
By Harriet Schiftan, MSW, MAJCS President and CEO In September, when I began my new position as President and CEO of Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee, I was given the organization’s recently completed strategic plan. What a gift to a new leader that our board, staff, volunteers, and community stakeholders had already identified a clear direction…
Read MoreSome Reflections on 22 Years
By Felice Apolinsky, LCSW Program Director As I sit to write this, I am grieving the recent death of my precious father and beginning to process the final two weeks of his life, which I was thankfully able to spend alongside him in the hospital. Witnessing his incredibly gentle release, I am heartbroken while also…
Read MoreThe Power of Sharing Stories
By Laura Alabed-Olsson Over the last 12 months, I’ve had the honor of working on an awareness campaign for Gilda’s Club, based on the premise that everyone has a cancer story. At a point in time when three out of four families are impacted by cancer – and given the range of cancer stories shared…
Read MoreTwo Daniels and a Mission that Matters
By Jim Corum Board Chair As a long-time member of Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee’s Board of Directors – and, as of January 1, as our new Board Chair – I’m often asked, “why Gilda’s Club.” People want to know what brought me to the organization and why I’m committed to sharing my time, energy and…
Read MoreMaking a Difference This Holiday Season
By Hayley Levy Director of Development At this time of year, many of us are consumed by thoughts of holiday traditions, cherished family time, delicious food, travel plans and (if we’re lucky) snow days. My favorite part of the season, however, is the generosity people show around the holidays – to those they know and…
Read More