NATIONALLY KNOWN COMEDIANS TO DELIVER LAUGHS FOR
GILDA'S CLUB NORTHERN NEW JERSEY NOVEMBER 1
FROM: The Marcus Group Contact: Overlook at Great Notch, 150 Clove Road, Little Falls, NJ
Kaitlyn Sweeney (973) 890-9590
Immediate Release – September 15, 2009
Less than two years after a philanthropist’s gift rescued it from the brink of extinction, Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey is ready to embark on the most ambitious fundraising event in Bergen County history.
An outpouring of support from the local community, anchored by a $200,000 gift from Hartz Mountain CEO Leonard Stern, not only saved Gilda’s from having to close its doors – it also earned the nonprofit group a national-television “shout-out,” on Good Morning America.
Highlighting the organization’s turnaround is an extensive greening/reconstruction” of Gilda’s Hackensack clubhouse, plus their most formidable undertaking: an evening of comedy later this fall featuring three of the best-known comedians in America.
The new clubhouse, the first such structure for a social services organization, will be dedicated September 24 with a program featuring green guru Deidre Imus, a noted advocate for people with cancer. The $500,000 renovation was financed through a federal grant, obtained with the help of U.S. Congressman Steve Rothman (D-Fair Lawn) from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, and through the contribution of materials and labor by local contractors and interior designers.
“Ladies of Laughter” is the brainchild of Freddie Roman, the abbot of New York City’s famed Friar’s Club. The event will feature self-described “Queen of Mean” Lisa Lampanelli, world’s funniest daughter-in-law Sunda Croonquist and Last Comic Standing reality show finalist Cory Kahaney. All three women are donating their performances as a tribute to the cancer-support group’s namesake, Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer 20 years ago. The peals of laughter are scheduled to erupt Sunday, November 1 at the 1,200-seat Bergen County Academies auditorium in Hackensack.
Sparking the Gilda’s comeback is newly installed board leader Ruth Dugan of Saddle River, who presided last year over the financial stabilization of Bayonne Medical Center. Dugan will be shepherding Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey into a new era of strength, as its parent organization, Gilda’s Worldwide, merges with the Wellness Community, a California-based nonprofit where Radner found solace during her illness.
Dugan has planned a host of happenings besides Ladies of Laughter to infuse even more energy into the Hackensack clubhouse. “We’re just so excited that we have been able to tap the wealth of talent and enthusiasm of our supporters to create such a wonderful series of events for Gilda’s Club,” she said.
New Jersey State Senator Loretta Weinberg will pay a visit October 7 to present a proclamation declaring the day “Face Cancer Together Day,” recognizing the need for emotional and social support for people living with the disease.
And, along with her board member daughter, Kathryn, a local attorney, Dugan is coordinating a bachelor auction October 22 to benefit Gilda’s wide range of psychosocial support programs. Ladies attending the event, at the Crowne Plaza in Englewood, will be able to bid on one of 20 eligible gentlemen, as well as a number of silent auction items.
For additional information or to buy tickets for Ladies of Laughter or for the bachelor auction, visit www.gildasclubnnj.org, or call (201) 457-1670.
ABOUT GILDA’S CLUB NORTHERN NEW JERSEY
Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey is a cancer-support community serving 12 counties in North Jersey as well as southern Rockland County, and is part of an international network of affiliate clubhouses anchored by Gilda’s Club Worldwide. All services at the Hackensack-based clubhouse, from lectures and workshops to support groups and social events, are open to anyone – men, women, children and teens – who has been touched in any way by cancer, and are completely free of charge. For further information or to make a donation, visit http://www.gildasclubnnj.org or call (201) 457-1670.