<b>Not Just For Women:  Gilda’s Club Westchester</b>

<b>Presented By DDR Public Relations, Inc.</b>

&nbsp;

<b>SUMMARY </b>

Gilda’s Club Westchester, located in White Plains, NY, is a regional resource in social and emotional support for people living with cancer, along with their friends and family. The first Gilda’s Club was founded in 1995 in New York City following the death of comedienne, Gilda Radner. Radner, the funny face of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” died of ovarian cancer in 1989.  Gilda’s Club Westchester was founded in 2001 and its greatest challenge since is moving beyond the Gilda Radner association with ovarian cancer, and on to attract men, children and families as well as to women.

&nbsp;

<b>OBJECTIVES</b>
<ul>
	<li>To create awareness of Gilda’s Club Westchester as a resource for anyone touched by cancer -- men, women, children, families, etc.</li>
	<li>To broaden its reach, and as a result to increase membership</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

<b>STRATEGIES</b>
<ul>
	<li>To develop a media relations campaign that generates placements about Gilda’s Club and all
its services</li>
	<li>To generate attendance at Gilda’s Club Westchester events in order to attract new members and new interest</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

<b>TACTICS</b>
<ul>
	<li>Guest columns by Gilda’s Club Westchester CEO on such topics as, “Cancer From A Man’s Perspective: Dealing With The Impulse To Put Work First.”</li>
	<li>Media advisories to promote Gilda’s Club Westchester events and tie-in activities such as, Fitness Day At Equinox Fitness Clubs, Day of Beauty at Demerjian Salon, etc.</li>
	<li>DDRPR photography of all events, and then captioning these photos to send to target media</li>
	<li>Feature stories, including those focusing on:</li>
	<li> “Talking To Kids About Cancer”</li>
	<li>“Gilda’s Club Emphasizes ‘Living Your Life’ -- Breast Cancer Is Now Perceived As A Chronic Disease.”</li>
	<li>Reaching Out To Three To Five Year Olds: Often Overlooked Young People Touched By Cancer”</li>
	<li>“Young and Living With Cancer”</li>
	<li> “Cancer From A Man’s Perspective”</li>
	<li>Returning To Work Following A Cancer Diagnosis</li>
	<li>Cancer In The Classroom</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

<b>RESULTS</b>

An intensive media relations campaign resulted in the placement of these features and bylined columns in target Westchester-based media including Westchester Business Journal, The Wag, Westchester Magazine, The Journal News, News 12, etc., as well as on WNBC-TV’s report on “Taking To Kids About Cancer At Gilda’s Club Westchester.”