Avenue remains the same. For staff, the solution was simple. Make
Baxter a home base and start branching out across Louisville. Don’t
ask people to come to you. Go to them.
By the end of 2015, six different off-site Gilda’s Club satellites
throughout Jefferson County will be offering cancer support.
Ferry explained, “We’re at the point where we’ve learned a lot. We’ve
grown tremendously. It’s time to take a step back and say, ‘How can
we go to the next level?’ We’re looking at a lot of information and part
of that is determining who is coming to Gilda’s Club, who’s not coming and why? We want to reach out to those who are underserved,
so we’re focusing on deliberate and strategic grassroots outreach.”
The idea is to build self-sustaining networks of support capable of
utilizing volunteers and program ideas from the clubhouse on Baxter
Avenue as needed. The most progress has come from an unexpected
source, the Southwest Library in Valley Station.
“When you’re looking to develop something outside, you just need
the perfect elements to fall into place,” said Morrison. “This was
the perfect timing and location. There’s a lot of energy around it.
There are many incidents of cancer with the staff there either with
individuals or their families, so there’s a lot of passion to make the
program a success. That passion is critical because they’re the ones
promoting events.”
In addition to the library, other inroads are being made in faithbased and Hispanic communities. “It’s all about relationship building. We’re partnering with several groups for health and wellness
programming, support groups, things to build familiarity and be
visible. Those conversations are happening with the St. Rita community in south Louisville and with the St. Stephens community
in west Louisville, in the Portland area. We’re also getting ready to
pilot a youth program support group at Floyd Cancer Care in New
Albany,” said Morrison.
These are just the beginning. Now that the base is strong, the goal
is to get that message to as many Louisville residents as possible.
“Every day, we’re reminded about what is most meaningful in life,”
Ferry said, discussing the way Gilda’s Club members have affected
him personally. “For myself, it causes me to lead an examined life.
You get to learn these huge life lessons vicariously through them
and take a piece of that collective wisdom. There is hope. There are
things more powerful than cancer. We get to see them every day.”
For Morrison, the joy is still there every day. “When you live and
work this close to people facing life-threatening and life-changing
illness, your perception changes. I watch far less television. I embrace
silliness more. There is sadness here sometimes, and tears, but there
is far more laughter and far more joy. Gilda’s Club gets to help with
a very important portion of a person’s life. Directly and indirectly,
we get to help make that time better.”
Gilda would be proud.
For more information
www.gildasclublouisville.org.
about
Gilda’s
Club,
visit
Gilda’s Club serves seniors
and young alike.
Crafts at the mother/
daughter tea.
8
A kiss on the
head at a Grief
Connection
Dinner.
VITAL SIGNS Volume 10 • Issue 2