NASHVILLE, Tenn.- A
firestorm is brewing, and it is all over the name change of a non-profit cancer
support organization. Several Gilda's Clubs
across the country are making the bold move and somehow a misconception about Gilda's
Club Nashville got thrown in.
The founder of the local
club wants to set the record straight. Gilda's club was formed back in 1995 in
New York in honor of Gilda Radner, a comedian from Saturday Night Live. After a club in Madison, Wisconsin said it
was changing its name because young people don't know who she is it was
reported on national news, but the report used a logo of Gilda's Club Nashville
making folks wonder what's going on.
"We're not changing our
name," said Sandy Towers, founder of Gilda's Club Nashville. "It
wouldn't be right for us. It's important for us for her legacy to continue."
Gilda Radner died of
ovarian cancer in 1989; nine years later, Gilda's Club Nashville opened. Three
of 26 clubs have already changed their name to Cancer Support Community. A fourth, Gilda's Club Madison, will make the
switch in January.
"Gilda and who she is, is
important to us," said Towers. "But it's also about what we do here and those
things that were important to Gilda."
Gilda's Club Nashville serves
men, women and children free of charge in a homelike setting.
