Effective July 1, 2009, Gilda’s Club Worldwide, the headquarters organization of Gilda’s Club St. Louis, entered into a formal agreement with the national headquarters of The Wellness Community. Based on an evaluation of the region, senior members of the two national organizations made the decision that the Wellness Community alone would operate in the St. Louis market.
It is with great sadness that we end our operations and announce the closure of the Gilda’s Club St. Louis office, effective September 30, 2009. The Board of Directors of Gilda’s Club has returned the restricted donations designated for the Clubhouse capital campaign. Based on an evaluation of the programs available for those who are living with cancer in the region, the remainder of the Gilda’s St. Louis funds and assets are being distributed primarily to the Cardinal Kids Cancer Center at the David C. Pratt Cancer Center at St. Johns Mercy Medical Center, Friends of Kids with Cancer, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and The Wellness Community.
For adults who are looking for psycho-social support programs, we urge you to contact The Wellness Community at 314-283-2000. For programs designed for children and teens, please contact Friends of Kids with Cancer at 314-275-7440 for more information.
The Cardinal Kids Cancer Center, designed under the direction of noted St. Louis pediatric oncologist Dr. Robert Bergamini, is expected to open in the spring of 2010. Gilda’s Club St. Louis was pleased to honor Dr. Bergamini for his dedication to the children of St. Louis in 2007, and is pleased to help turn his dream of a comprehensive pediatric outpatient center into a reality.
We wish to thank our Steering Committee, Marketing Committee and Young Professionals organization for their tireless work and dedication, as well as the hundreds of volunteers and contributors we have had the honor to meet and work with over the past three years at our various events. We wish to thank Protiviti for giving us a home, Isle of Capri Casinos for hosting our meetings, and the Ritz-Carlton for their generosity. It is the kindness and caring of these individuals and organizations that makes St. Louis a great place to live.
The Cancer Support Community, the new national organization that was formed by the merger of Gilda’s Club Worldwide and The Wellness Community will be the largest provider of cancer support worldwide, and will continue to empower and educate individuals affected by cancer. As the number of cancer patients continues to increase, their services will be more necessary than ever. We hope you will support the new organization, as you so generously supported us.
— The Gilda’s Club St. Louis Board of Directors
