Gilda’s Club of Grand Rapids
This last weekend, Banana and I traded our usual karaoke night out for a good night’s sleep… because we were working the 2026 West Side Walk, supporting Gilda’s Club and the free cancer and grief support they provide throughout West Michigan!
GRkaraoke.com donated $100 to the event, and I spent the morning volunteering at a booth, talking with walkers and meeting some of the people behind Gilda’s Club.
It was a beautiful Saturday morning, a great community event and, more importantly, a chance to shine a little light on an incredible local resource that more people should know about.
Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids provides cancer and grief support to our West Michigan community completely FREE OF CHARGE. And they’ve been doing it for 25 years.
A Walk Through the West Side
The West Side Walk for Gilda’s started and finished right at the Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids Clubhouse on Bridge Street, with a non-competitive 1.5-mile route winding through the surrounding West Side neighborhood. This year, 621 walkers and 43 teams showed up.
Gilda’s Club also made a whole morning out of it. GVSU dance team crushed a quick routine. Marvel and Star Wars characters were roaming around posing for photos, the Sheriff’s Office mounted unit brought a horse bigger than my first car, and there was giant inflatable cornhole, kids’ activities, and even a giant bubble making station.
After the walk, everyone headed back to the Clubhouse for a block party, where PJ DA DJ had a pretty good chunk of the crowd hitting the cha cha slide.
Beautiful weather. Great crowd. Even better cause. No notes.
What Does Gilda’s Club Do?
The walk is what brought everyone together Saturday, but what happens inside Gilda’s Club the rest of the year is the important part.
Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids provides free emotional health support for children, adults, families and friends impacted by cancer or grief.
And you don’t have to be the person diagnosed with cancer to need them.
Gilda’s supports people living with cancer along with their families, caregivers and friends. They also provide grief support for children and adults dealing with the death of someone in their lives.
Their programs include professionally led support groups, educational workshops, healthy lifestyle programs, social activities and other cancer and grief resources designed to provide what Gilda’s describes as “hope, connection, and support.”
There are no membership fees for these programs. The support is free.
25 Years of Supporting West Michigan
This year also marks the 25th anniversary of Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids.
Over those 25 years, thousands of children, adults, families and caregivers have walked through their doors looking for support during cancer and grief.
I got the chance Saturday to meet some of the people behind Gilda’s Club and personally thank them for the great work they do for our community. And somehow, afterward, they were the ones thanking me for being there. That seems pretty representative of the people behind Gilda’s Club.
It takes a special group of people to spend their days helping our friends and neighbors through some of the hardest chapters of their lives. West Michigan is lucky to have them.
West Michigan Showed Up
Gilda’s Club set a goal of raising $225,000 through the 2026 West Side Walk… and the community blew right past it!
With donations still coming in after the event, the walk had raised more than $266,000, with 32 sponsors and more than 1,700 donations coming together to make it happen.
Every step, donation and volunteer hour helps Gilda’s Club keep its cancer and grief support programs available completely free of charge.
We were proud to have one of the many donation signs lining the 1.5-mile route. There were well over a hundred along the way, and seeing sign after sign really put into perspective just how many people came together for Gilda’s Club that morning.
Help Keep the Red Door Open
The West Side Walk may be over, but Gilda’s Club’s work happens year-round.
If you’re able to donate, join us in supporting Gilda’s Club and helping keep these programs free for the people in our community who need them.
But even more importantly, if you or someone you know is dealing with cancer or grief, remember that Gilda’s Club is here and the support is free.
They have two locations serving West Michigan:
Grand Rapids Clubhouse:
1806 Bridge St. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Lowell Clubhouse:
865 Lincoln Lake Ave. SE
Lowell, MI 49331
You don’t need to know exactly what kind of support you need before reaching out. Their team can help you figure out where to start.
And if you’re able to give, your donation helps make sure the next person who needs that support can continue getting it for free.
Thanks to everyone at Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids for a great morning, and for the much more important work you do for West Michigan every day.
