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Gilda’s Club painting Capitol Hill doors red, holding 5K walk/run

(Image: Gilda's Club)

(Image: Gilda’s Club)

A red bike and the red door at Gilda's Club (Image: Kate Clark via Flickr)

A red bike and the red door at Gilda’s Club (Image: Kate Clark via Flickr)

Andrea Morrison, the owner of E Pine running store Fleet Feet, wants everyone to know about Capitol Hill’s Gilda’s Club.

Mayor Ed Murray, organizers say, will also show his support for the nonprofit and the fight against cancer by turning the door of City Hall red on September 13th.

Gilda’s Club is a free, supportive community for people affected indirectly or directly by cancer. It is a national organization that has more than 20 chapters across the country. The Seattle club is located at Broadway and Union. The organization was founded in memory of comedienne Gilda Radner.

The club has 6,000 members across Washington and membership is free.

Gilda’s Club calls one of the most beautiful buildings on Broadway home, but organizers say not many in the neighborhood know who they are or what they do.

10551542_10152646904022855_746582816228895156_o1st Annual Red Door 5K Run/Walk
Cal Anderson Park, Pine Street 98122
Sat, Sep 13,2014
The 1st Annual Red Door 5K Run/Walk will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at Cal Anderson Park. Registration is free! Form a team and help us raise funds to support family programs at Gilda’s Club. Registration starts at 7:30, kids dash 8:30, and run/walk 9am.

Click HERE to register, join a team, or donate to a runner/walker!

Gilda’s Club has been on Broadway and Union for 12 years and on September 13th they are hoping the neighborhood will know exactly what the organization freely provides. Gilda’s hopes that local businesses and organizations on Broadway, Union, 12th Ave and beyond will “paint” their doors red.

(Image: Gilda's Club)

(Image: Gilda’s Club)

The Red Door Campaign will also be accompanied by a 5K walk/run around Cal Anderson Park the same day.

Gilda’s Club is in the process of talking to participants around Capitol Hill and asking them change their door to be part of the campaign. Construction paper is encouraged, along with donating a percentage of sales that day to the campaign.

The 5K at Cal Anderson is being organized by Fleet Feet’s Morrison. The business owner heard about the 5K and decided to help plan the event — and help create a positive event for the park.

“The more we have people out in the community supporting the park the better,” Morrison said.

Organizer have a goal of 25 teams of 10 people for the September 13th event. Each person is encouraged to raise $100 in donations for the walk/run.

The run/walk joins a slate of other club fundraisers including fashion show events and a golf tournament. But organizers say these cater to a certain crowd and not everyone in the community can financially be involved.

The fundraising from the Red Door Campaign and the 5K is going to Camp Sparkle, a day camp for kids 4-12 affected by cancer.

“We’re losing camps like that,” said Gilda’s representative Trinette Baer-Kowalski, “day camps for families are few and far between, and the camps are completely free.”

After 12 years, Gila’s Club is ready to tell the Hill that their doors are open to everyone as so many are affected by cancer.

“Our commerce community comes out for Hill-O-Ween and Pride and other things going on,” Morrison said. “I would love the community to rally around yet another cause that is housed on Capitol Hill.”

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Joseph Singer
Joseph Singer
9 years ago

It’s too bad that the building that houses Gilda’s Club has been hit over and over with graffiti tagging so they’ve had to paint the south wall of the building and have had to do it over and over.

local
local
9 years ago

Gilda’s Club is amazing. They have been so important for my family – and countless others. I am delighted to have a chance to support them publicly in my own neighborhood.

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[…] Seattle writer and historian Dotty DeCoster has been nice enough to share many of her essays and reports with CHS over the years. She first published this piece in 2009 — we’ve updated it and are happy to share it with readers again as Gilda’s Club prepares for its first ever Red Door campaign. […]

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[…] dash is at 8:30am, and the 5k starts at 9:00am. Read more about Gilda’s Club and the 5K  here, and a century of the Broadway building’s history […]

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[…] wrote about the new fundraiser and “red door” campaign to support the organization and Camp Sparkle, a day camp for kids 4-12 affected by cancer. On […]