Member Stories
Meet Amy Mlodzianowski, Program Director
As Program Director, Amy Mlodzianowski coordinates the development, implementation, evaluation, and administration of Gilda's Club Westchester's Program. But for Amy, her job is about ensuring that people living with cancer have someplace to turn to for their emotional and social needs.
According to a 2007 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), more than 10.5 million people in the US are either battling cancer or are in remission, and that 40% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. The IOM places special emphasis on the importance of psychosocial health services for improving a cancer patient's quality of life. Amy says, "that's why Gilda's Club Westchester offers a range of activities to meet the emotional needs of its members."
"The Gilda's Club model is built on the premise that emotional and social support is as essential as medical care when cancer is in the family," Amy says. "How individuals and families seek that emotional and social support differs, therefore at Gilda's Club Westchester we strive to offer a comprehensive program that includes support and networking groups, educational lectures and workshops, healthy lifestyle programs (meditation, yoga, etc.), and social events that build social connections."
As more people have recognized and accepted the benefits of an integrated approach to cancer care, Gilda's Club Westchester has been able to successfully offer even more unique workshops like meditation, yoga, and Pilates, as well as nutrition–related lectures and cooking classes. "We find that topics related to integrative approaches are very popular at GCW, therefore we have lectures and workshops monthly covering a variety of topics."
This fall is full of events for adults, teens, kids and families at Gilda's Club Westchester. "We have some lectures scheduled this fall that include: Breath Work: Achieving Awareness, Peace & Clarity; Approach to Breast Cancer Treatment in the 21st Century; Tools for Dealing with Anxiety; and Living Life with Lymphoma Networking Night (sponsored by the Lymphoma Research Foundation). Our 5 week nutritional workshop with Dr. Susan Rubin is back beginning on Friday, October 14th (titled Recipes & Strategies), and on Thursday, October 6th, Marti Wolfson (The Blum Center) will be offering a cooking class on hearty healthy soups." Gilda's Club Westchester is also holding its largest family event, Noogiefest, on October 24th, just in time for Halloween.
Gilda's Club's Program has grown tremendously since Amy became Program Director, and she says she could not have done it without the honest input of members and volunteers about their interests and needs. "What we offer at GCW is so unique, not only because everything is free of charge, but because it's the only place where a whole family impacted by cancer (in any way) can come for support."
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