Our Mission
Create a welcoming community of FREE cancer support, to bring knowledge, hope and empowerment to anyone and everyone impacted by cancer and their families. We are committed to expanding our program and broadening our reach to meet the growing needs of individuals living with cancer, in more ways, and in more places than ever before.
About Red Door Community
Red Door Community is New York City’s preeminent nonprofit cancer support organization helping everyone and anyone impacted by cancer. A welcoming place that provides a full complement of FREE cancer support, emotional and educational programs, and healthy lifestyle workshops online and in-person. Because only Red Door Community is committed to providing unwavering support at every stage of the cancer experience, so no one faces cancer alone.
Our supportive and educational program is an essential complement to cancer care to bring knowledge, hope, and empowerment at every stage of the cancer experience.
Legacy & History
In 1995, Gilda’s Club New York City was founded in memory of the talented Saturday Night Live comedian, Gilda Radner, who said that having cancer gave her membership in an elite club she’d rather not belong to. While living in the West Coast, Gilda was a part of a psychological and social support community for people with cancer and their families. It was there that she found friendship, hope, and a renewed sense of control of her life. Before passing away from ovarian cancer in 1989, she expressed her wish that a similar community exist on the East Coast.
Founded by Gene Wilder (Gilda’s then husband), psychotherapist Joanna Bull, Mandy Patinkin, Joel Siegel, and other friends and generous individuals, Gilda’s Club NYC opened its iconic Red Door in 1995 to provide a place where cancer patients and their families could find support, resources, and a community that cares.
The success of Gilda’s Club NYC gave birth to Gilda’s Club Worldwide in 2000, an organization dedicated to developing a national network of clubhouses. In 2009, Gilda’s Club Worldwide merged with The Wellness Community to form the Cancer Support Community (CSC), which is now the largest cancer support network in the country. Gilda’s Club NYC was an affiliate of CSC. In 2021, Gilda’s Club New York City evolved to become The Red Door Community and continues to maintain it’s 501(c)(3) status so that we can support more people, in more places, in more ways than ever before.
