For 22 years, our little brownstone in the West Village of Manhattan has been a community of support for thousands of individuals and families who have been impacted by cancer.
Over these years, many more have walked through our Red Door to take a tour of our facility and hear about our program which includes support groups, healthy lifestyle workshops and educational lectures. These visitors are often prospective members, volunteers, or donors.
The tour generally starts at our iconic Red Door which opens up to a lovely mural depicting Gilda Radner in her various personas, her dog Sparkle, and scenes from her home in Connecticut. Then it’s on to the reception area, Dance Hall and Noogieland before heading up to the 2nd floor where our four group rooms, pantry, Gilda’s Study Corner, and library are located.
It is here where you can truly see how worn down our beloved Clubhouse had become. Most of the group rooms are furnished with a mishmosh of sofas, couches, chairs and tables of varying conditions. The wall to wall rug has become stained and terribly worn and the lighting very dim. For many years, we have wanted to update this heavily trafficked area but our priorities remained in supporting and growing our program.
On a recent winter day, an out of town group wanted a tour of the facility to compare the similarities and differences of what we offered to one of our sister Red Door Community’s. As we reached the 2nd floor, it was explained that one of our members who recently lost his wife, wanted to make a contribution to update the area known as Gilda’s Study Corner, where our youth members come to do homework before their support groups. In addition to this, Arlene Sullivan, an artist and painter had recently completed a whimsical mural in the same area. However, the group rooms remained a sore sight.
At the end of the visit, the group asked a myriad of questions and then left. Within a few weeks, a contact from the group reached out to say that they would be interested in making a gift to help with renovations. That gift turned out to be significant enough to provide us with a 2nd floor makeover including new furniture, replacing the carpeting with wood floors, updating the kitchen, and adding recessed lighting. Moreover, several vendors have offered to help defray costs so that we can expand renovations to the library with new flooring and paint.
We recently completed an appeal to our donors to assist with this renovation project. Needless to say, we are thrilled and extremely grateful for the generosity of our donors, members, and vendors. The major project renovation will begin in July and should be complete by September when we will have an Open House to showcase our new space.
We’ll keep you updated on the progress!
Want to help with the renovations?
Help fund our efforts with a donation or contact us to help in other ways.