Cancer Support at Gilda's Club Simcoe Muskoka

Gilda´s Club is distinguished by its unique philosophy and Program. Completely FREE of charge, Gilda´s Club encourages a sense of "expertise" among Members, and emphasizes community-building, collective wisdom and shared experience.

The Gilda´s Club Program:

Support and Networking Groups

Weekly Wellness Groups for adults living with a cancer diagnosis, Family and Friends Groups for adult family Members and friends supporting those with a cancer diagnosis, and monthly Networking Groups focused on a specific of cancer (prostate, young adults with cancer, living solo with cancer, etc.)

Lectures and Workshops

Typical lecture topics, which are selected based on Members´ interests, include stress reduction, nutrition, talking to your children about cancer, and pain management. Major workshop areas include art and other forms of self-expression, meditation, exercise and yoga, and cooking.

Social Activities

These are a favourite at Gilda´s Club and vary from potluck suppers with music to karaoke nights to joke fests or comedy nights to major celebrations around special holidays. Having Members and families come together for fun creates special bonds that enhance other individual and group experiences.

Noogieland

Noogieland is a place for children who have been diagnosed with cancer and for those who have cancer in their family. Noogieland is a fun, supportive play environment filled with stimulating toys, books and art supplies. Customized play and support activities for both younger children and teens are facilitated by licensed professional volunteers and Gilda´s Club staff.

Family Focus sessions help Members and their families learn to live with cancer together. Each family develops their own unique game plan to provide techniques that draw on each other´s strengths to make living with cancer more manageable for everyone in the family.

Team Convene is a special meeting for reaching out to the extended family of the person living with cancer to help build an active support network. The Team Convene establishes a framework to help everyone express and understand each other´s concerns and establishes a strategy for distributing tasks and handling day-to-day responsibilities.

ph&d

ph&d addresses the often-neglected social and emotional needs of cancer survivors and their families and friends, through a well-defined Program of education and support activities. Specifically, it assists cancer survivors in achieving perspective, integration and gaining information about their life post-treatment. ph&d also provides a unique approach to emotional and social support for those whose loved ones have died of cancer.
Customized Membership Plan (CMP)

For all Members of Gilda´s Club, their Membership starts with a CMP. This one-hour, one-on-one collaborative discussion with a staff Member, volunteer, or certified mental health professional allows each prospective Member to structure a personal and unique plan for emotional and social support at Gilda’s Club. This personalized plan incorporates the parts of the Gilda´s Club Program that best serve the individual´s needs and interests.

It is Customized  ... because you are an individual.
It is Membership ... because you are not alone.
It is a Plan ... because choices about your needs are taken seriously.
 
Definition of Member

All people who attend Program offered through Gilda´s Club shall be referred to as Community Members. People who benefit from Gilda´s Club are Members of a meaningful support community who are invited to participate in a range of purposeful and evidence-based or evidence-informed activities.

The community is open to children, teens and adults who are facing cancer themselves or in the family. Recognizing that cancer impacts the entire support system around an individual, Gilda´s Club is committed to engaging the whole family when appropriate and whenever possible.
 
In summary, Gilda´s Club provides Program activities, free of charge, to the following:
 
• People with a cancer diagnosis who are in an active or post-treatment phase, experiencing a recurrence, and/or facing the end-of-life, as well as people with a cancer diagnosis who have chosen to stop or not seek treatment for their disease;
• People who are no longer actively in cancer treatment but are dealing with psychosocial and/or physical effects of cancer and its treatment;
• Family Members and caregivers who are currently involved in the care and support of someone with cancer or who is living with short and/or long-term psychosocial and/or physical effects of cancer and its treatment;
• Family Members and caregivers, including children, who are bereaved related to a death of someone from cancer;
• Extended family Members/significant others even if they are not direct caregivers of a person with cancer who meet the criteria above;
• People who have tested positive for a hereditary cancer such as BRCA1.
 
Accessing Gilda´s Club Groups, Activities & Events
 
To Join:

1) Drop by the clubhouse during the times listed below for more information on becoming a Member
2) Call us for information at (705) 726-5199
3) E-mail us at Program@gildasclubbarrie.org or visit our Become a Member page
 
RSVP: Please RSVP for all activities, workshops and lectures
Parking: Ample parking is available at the clubhouse
Handicap Accessibility: The clubhouse is handicap accessible
Sign-in: Please sign in at the reception desk upon your arrival.
 
 
Check out our Monthly Program Calendar to find out more about Program dates and times.