Dear Gilda’s Club Community, As we begin the month of July, I have lyrics from the Three Degrees song “When Will I See You Again” (written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff) playing in my head. It’s a great song, and though I imagine it is written about a relationship, the longing, yearning, and uncertainty...

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...

Dear Gilda’s Club Community, At Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee, we are a welcoming and inclusive community for individuals with cancer and their families. We are a community where people impacted by cancer face it together. We believe each person is the expert of his or her own experience, and in an atmosphere of shared experience and support, community grows. We value mutual respect, showing up for...

It began in December with an introduction from our board member Sharon Turner-Friley, MSW, Assistant Dean for Special Programs, Student Academic Affairs at Meharry Medical College. Next came the invitation for Felice to represent Gilda’s Club on a panel of experts teaching second-year medical students about end-of-life-issues and best practices for communicating with patients and their families; she joined colleagues from Alive Hospice and Meharry in the February event. Not surprisingly, the students asked...

Dear Gilda’s Club Community, It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that, effective June 30, Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee’s Williamson County location in Franklin will close permanently, and we will suspend our individual counseling program for all members. These decisions were not made easily, especially as over the past two years, we have had tremendous success serving...

It’s springtime and we are supposed to be feeling the rhythm of the season, the rhythm of the school year, the rhythm of the work-week-to-weekend…the rhythm of “life as usual.” But all of that has been suspended for now. The rules as we knew them have changed. Our societal guideposts have been moved and the uncertainty created by COVID-19 has left us all feeling a little untethered and a lot unsure. Yet, each day, we do our best to create some rhythm on which...

By Harriet Schiftan, MSW, MAJCS President & 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...

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...

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...

During November and December, we are bombarded with messages encouraging us to be thankful, grateful, and count our blessings. This practice is believed to increase positive mental health and good feelings. At Gilda’s Club, we understand that when you or someone you care about has cancer, you might not be feeling grateful or thankful –...