Community Partner Spotlight: Gilda's Club Twin Cities
My personal post caregiving journey is deeply tied to the art (yes art) of improv. My wife passed away in July of 1997 a short 9 months after our wedding and I was lost in a sea of pessimism and anger. I was an actor with a day job at the time and was lucky enough to audition for The Brave New Workshop that was also run by a not yet founding member of Gilda’s Club Twin Cities, Jenni Lilledahl. I got a call after the audition and remember being told that I was funny enough… but didn’t exactly grasp the rules of improv. (I cringe when I think of it). They didn’t hire me, but I was given a scholarship. I cannot convey how important saying yes to this one thing became. I soon learned that if I was gonna do this I had better surrender to the number one rule… “ YES AND”. No small feat for a guy who had all but given up on humanity. I was finally able to start grieving and the classes were my weekly support group without directly addressing my sorrow. I was eventually hired, and in 2014 Gilda’s opened it’s doors in Minnetonka.
Not surprisingly Jenni brought the healing power of improv. to Gilda’s where she currently hosts two classes a week. Gilda’s (a long-time Jack’s partner) covers a wide spectrum of support groups and classes with a central focus of anyone who has been affected by cancer. I still attend every week and invite others in Jack’s community who are caregiving or are dealing with cancer to sign up for a class. Chances are you will soon be one of the handful of regulars healing and making everyone outside the classroom door wonder… “what’s so funny?”
Classes are Tuesday’s 3:45 to 5:00 (at the clubhouse) and Wednesday's 12:30 to 1:45 PM (online)
