History
Gilda's Club is named in honor of comedian Gilda Radner who was best known for her work on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. When describing the experience she had at a Los Angeles cancer support center, Gilda dreamed that such places could be made available for people living with cancer and their friends and families everywhere. Gilda died from ovarian cancer in 1989. But today, her spirit lives on in every Gilda's Club.

Founded by Joanna Bull, Gilda's cancer psychotherapist, with the help of Gilda's husband Gene Wilder, Joel Siegel and other friends of Gilda Radner, the first Gilda's Club opened its signature red door in New York City in 1995. Since that time, 21 additional clubhouses have opened. Gilda’s Club has seen over 45,000 men, women and children living with cancer. Many members attest to the fact that Gilda's Club has helped change their lives by restoring control and enabling them to plan their own emotional and social support, thus strengthening and enriching the entire family.

St. Louis
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Missouri, with approximately 30,000 new diagnoses each year.* It’s the goal of the Founding Board of Gilda’s Club St. Louis to create a warm, welcoming place so that the people of the St. Louis area will never have to face cancer alone. The Founding Board believes that the establishment of a Gilda’s Club St. Louis clubhouse that is free of charge is an investment in the quality of life in the region.