Gilda’s Club Quad Cities to Join in First Global Community Gives Day June 28
Gilda’s Club Quad Cities, an affiliate of the Cancer Support Community (CSC), the world’s largest provider of cancer support that operates at 175 locations, is announcing Monday, June 28 as the network’s first-ever global Community Gives Day.
Joy McKeekan is executive director of Gilda’s Club Quad Cities.
The inaugural Community Gives Day comes as the demand for the organization’s free services — including emotional assistance, nutrition and healthy lifestyle guidance, education, navigation, digital resources, and more — is at an all-time high, according to a Tuesday release from the nonprofit.
“As our nation turns a corner on the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to note that this global health crisis and its associated economic challenges continue to disrupt the lives of people affected by cancer,” said Joy McMeekan, executive director of Gilda’s Club Quad Cities.
“As the demand for our services continues to increase, we are uniting to have a positive and concrete impact
Broadway star Telly Leung will perform for Community Gives Day on Monday, June 28.
on the lives of cancer patients and their loved ones.”
The June 28 date also coincides with the 1946 birthday of “Saturday Night Live” star Gilda Radner, whose cancer experience inspired the creation of Gilda’s Club. She died in 1989 at age 42 from ovarian cancer.
Radner, when describing the emotional and social support she received when she had cancer, called for such centers to be made available for people with cancer and their families and friends everywhere. Although the beloved comedian died in 1989, Gilda’s spirit lives on at every Gilda’s Club, where members join with other “experts” at living with cancer to both give and receive the benefits of love and laughter through the unique Gilda’s Club program.
The first Gilda’s Club, including a worldwide training center, opened its signature red door in
New York City in 1995. In 2009, Gilda’s Clubs and The Wellness Community merged to form the Cancer Support Community (CSC).
In 2021, Community Gives Day enables individuals to support their local CSC or Gilda’s Club affiliate, with all gifts translating into free support and navigation services for people affected by cancer.
Supporters who donate before 8 p.m. EST on the 28th will be invited to a special live virtual block party happening that day featuring a celebrity musical performance. Those who donate after 8 p.m. EST will receive a link to the on-demand replay.
The Broadway star Telly Leung will perform online. The 41-year-old New Yorker is best known for playing the title role in Disney’s “Aladdin” on Broadway from June 2017 to February 2019.
The first-ever global Community Gives Day will be Monday, June 28, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of Gilda Radner’s birth.
Other credits include the Broadway revival of “Pacific Overtures” in 2005, after which Leung originated the role of Boq in the Chicago company of “Wicked.”
Free of charge, Gilda’s Club Quad Cities provides support, education and hope to all people affected by cancer. As a Cancer Support Community affiliate, it is part of the largest employer of psychosocial oncology mental health professionals in the United States.
Gilda’s Club is located at Unity Point-Trinity Moline, 600 John Deere Road, Suite 101, Moline, and Genesis West, 1351 West Central Park, Suite 200, Davenport.
Gilda’s Club is part of the largest professionally-led nonprofit network of cancer support worldwide. The CSC is dedicated to ensuring that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action, and sustained by community.
CSC achieves its mission through three areas: direct service delivery, research, and advocacy. The organization includes an international network of affiliates that offer the highest quality social and emotional support for people impacted by cancer, as well as a community of support available online and over the phone.
For more information, call the toll-free Cancer Support Helpline at 888-793-9355, or visit www.CancerSupportCommunity.org and https://www.gildasclubqc.org/.
