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 Al Maiorani
At a recent new board member orientation session,
Alphonso “Al” Maiorani talked about his 30 year career in the casino
industry in Atlantic City working his way from an entry level
position (he must have interesting stories to tell from his days
working night shift in room service) to his current position as Senior
Vice President for Resort Operations at the Tropicana Casino and
Resort.
There has been a close association between that property
and Gilda’s Club South Jersey since our opening nine years
ago. Founding Board member, Barbara Gomes, married to Dennis who
was then the President of Tropicana, made some big things happen for
the fledgling club. Not the least of which was to host a comedy
event in 2004 featuring Joy Behar and Robert Klein in the Tropicana’s
2,000 seat theatre. The show was a very big deal for Gilda’s
Club, which despite its namesake, is not in the entertainment
business.
Were it not for the cool and collected Al Maiorani and
his team—and many other employees--and the incredible generosity of
Tropicana, thanks to Barbara and Dennis, we would not have made the
$60K that was essential to make ends meet that year.
When Gilda’s Club South Jersey was thinking about new
board members, we knew that we needed people who work in our area’s
number one industry. Al’s name quickly surfaced as our top
choice because he both understands and appreciates what we do and is
willing to roll up his sleeves - smiling all the way.
A native of Philadelphia, Al attended West Chester State
University. His passions include fine dining and fine wine,
watching car races with his older son, Alphonso III, and
cheering on the Philadelphia Eagles. He lives in Northfield
with his wife Kim, a Noogieland Volunteer, and his young son
Vincent.
Thanks to Al, we were able to hold a wonderful board
recognition cocktail party at Tropicana’s FIN restaurant on March
1. Already he is making a big difference.
Click
here to view a slideshow of photos from the FIN event!
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Registration is required for all programming.
Please call to register.
Linwood Clubhouse: 609-926-2699
The Living Room at AtlantiCare Cancer Care Institute: 609-407-4788
New Member Meetings
Attend a New Member Meeting to learn all about the
Gilda’s Club program & tour the clubhouse.
Attendance is required before participating in any
group or workshop.
Linwood Clubhouse: The Living Room:
Thursday, March 24 –
3pm Tuesday,
March 29 – 11am
Wednesday,
March 30 –
6pm Monday,
April 4 – 10:30am
Tuesday,
April 5 –
3pm Tuesday,
April 12 – 11am
Thursday,
April 14 –
4pm Thursday,
April 21 – 10:30am
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 For families touched
by cancer in any way!
Tuesday Noogie Night - 6:30pm
Thursday Night Grief Busters - 6pm
while parents/caregivers attend clubhouse groups &
activities
Super
Saturday - April 2
9:30 -
10:15 - Family Breakfast
10:15 - 11:30 - "Small Talk"
10:15 - 11:30 - "Big Talk" for
parents/guardians
Sponsored by Atlantic Medical Imaging.
Noogieland
Swim Party
Saturday,
March 26 at 4:30pm
Join us for a swimmingly good time! As always,
some good food, too.
Sponsored by the Ocean City Aquatic & Fitness
Center.
Registration Required 24 hours in advance. A
parent or guardian must be present in the clubhouse for children to
participate.
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 10 Days
Left to Enter the Annual Teen Writing Contest!
GCSJ is
happy to announce our 4th Annual Teen Writing Contest:
"It’s Always Something." We are looking for personal
essays or poetry from students in the 9th through 12th grades.
Writings must be honest and speak to how cancer has impacted the teen
writer’s life. The contest deadline is Thursday, March 31,
2011.
Both 1st place essay and poetry winners will receive Apple
iPads. Prizes will also be awarded to the 2nd and 3rd place
winners in each category. Click
here for more details and to submit your entry!
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 Opening
the HOPECHEST
Wednesday,
March 23 at 6pm
Donna Andrews, a nationally award winning
photographer, will introduce her project: HOPECHEST, a book
filled with artistic imagery of breast cancer survivors who had a
mastectomy. Her images reveal the inner beauty of these
women. Donna will share stories, images and testimonials and
the hope, courage and inspiration projected from their
contribution. This program is being held
at the Clubhouse in Linwood. It is
free & open to the community.
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 Men’s
Talk & Breakfast
Thursday,
March 24 at 10am
A new, monthly, facilitated group for men touched by
cancer in any way. Whether you are a patient or survivor, a
family member or friend, or have lost a loved one, come be with other
guys for support & camaraderie. This group is held at Gilda’s Club Living Room.
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 Family
& Friends Group
Monday,
March 28 at 10:30am
Join others whose loved ones have a cancer diagnosis
to find support & comfort, share ideas & learn from one
another in facilitated group. This
group is held at the Gilda’s Club Living Room.
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 “Ask
the Doctor” About Colorectal Cancer
Monday,
March 28 at 6pm
Hear
medical information concerning colorectal cancer: What are the
symptoms? How is it diagnosed? What are the latest treatments? What
is life like after colorectal cancer? Is there anything I can do to
prevent colorectal cancer? Can this be hereditary? Come with your
questions. Presented
by Andrew Renny, MD, Board Certified in Gastroenterology and Internal
Medicine. Held at the
clubhouse in Linwood. It is free and
open to the community.
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 Are you
living with Lung Cancer?
If so, the Cancer Support Community needs your help!
We ask
that you complete an online survey to help us understand your
experience in making important treatment decisions with your
healthcare team. Your input and those of other patients will be
used to help us develop an educational training program for oncology
nurses, social workers and other health professionals who work with
lung cancer patients. Access the Online Survey through the
following link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LungCancerCommunication
The deadline to complete and submit the survey is
Friday, April 8th.
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 11th
Annual Stowe Weekend of Hope
Gilda’s
Club South Jersey’s Advocacy Networking Group is honored to present
“Cancer Survivorship After-Care Plan: Empower Yourself” on Saturday,
April 30, 2011 at the 11th Annual Stowe Weekend of Hope. The
conference for survivors and caregivers is scheduled for April 29 –
May 1 in Stowe, VT.
Of the
almost 900 attendees at the conference, they are from approximately
20 states. Some come from as far as California. Almost
72% are first-time participants and over 25 cancer types were
represented in 2010. And, the primary reasons for attending are
for education, encouragement, inspiration and hope.
To learn
more about or to join Gilda’s Club South Jersey’s Advocacy Networking
Group, call Gilda’s Club (609) 926-2699. For more information
about the Stowe Weekend of Hope, visit their website at http://www.stowehope.org/.
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 Shirley
Mae Run & Walk
Join our
team, The
Roseanne Roseannadanna Bandanas, on Saturday, May 7 for the 2011
Shirley Mae Run & Walk! NEW THIS YEAR: 10K run, D-Tag
timing, exciting 1.5 mile walk route along the boardwalk!
If you
can’t participate this year, please consider making a team donation
to support us!
Click
here to register online or to make a team donation.
Thank
you!
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 Survivor
Band
Gilda’s Club of South Jersey is excited to announce
its association with Rip & Tied Designs, LLC and the creation of
the Gilda’s Club “Survivor Band”. Rip & Tied Designs is a
local company that has custom designed its “Survivor Bands” with Gilda’s
Club’s colors and is available with or without a silver awareness
ribbon.
For every Gilda’s Club “Survivor Band” purchased, Rip
& Tied Designs will donate $3.00 to Gilda’s Club. To order
a Gilda’s Club “Survivor Band”, you can go directly to http://shop.ripandtied.com/
and click on “Rip & Tied Survivor Bands”. At the checkout
screen, simply select Scarlet Red and Black as your color choices and
insert “Gilda’s Club” in the “Comments” block.
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