Gilda's Club to Honor Rosie O'Donnell at May 18 Benefit

Gilda's Club Worldwide, the headquarters organization for Gilda's Club, the international network which offers free social and emotional support to all people touched by cancer, will honor Rosie O'Donnell at their Gala black tie benefit on Thursday evening, May 18 at The Mandarin Oriental (in the Time Warner Center). 

There will be a special presentation by Melissa Etheridge. Also being honored are Pamela Baxter, President & CEO, LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics, N.A. and Jimmie C. Holland, MD of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  For the very first time, an online auction will be held in conjunction with the benefit beginning May 8 for two weeks and hosted by www.charitybuzz.com. The evening issponsored by LEXUS.    

The Gala, celebrating 11 years of welcoming people, including children of all ages, living with cancer, will be hosted by ABC-TV's Joel Siegel. Honorary Chairs include Julianne Moore & Bart Freundlich, Karen and Gene Wilder.  Some of the items available for the online auction includes the world's first high-performance luxury hybrid, the Lexus GS 450h (donated by Lexus); a Culinary Journeys travel experience; visits to Aspen, Sun Valley and Napa; a visit with Jim Belushi on the set of his ABC-TV series "According to Jim"; tickets to Bette Midler's annual Hulaween Ball donated by The Divine Ms. M; fashion experiences from attending a Donna Karan fashion show and receiving a $2,500 gift certificate to an internship at Christian Dior; and much more.  

Named in memory of the late comedian Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer on May 20, 1989, Gilda's Club Worldwide (based in New York) offers non-residential meeting places where men, women and children with cancer and their families and friends come together for support.  The Gilda's Club support system is free of charge for all regardless of income, type of cancer or stage of illness, at their 20 clubhouses in the United States and Canada. Through support groups, social activities and educational seminars, Gilda's Club helps people learn how to live with cancer in the affirming company of a community of peers. 

O'Donnell--who is joining the talk show "The View"--most recently appeared as Golde in the recent Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof; she had previously appeared on Broadway in Seussical (as The Cat in the Hat) and in Grease (as Rizzo). O'Donnell, who began her career as a stand-up comedian, also produced the Boy George musical Taboo, and film and TV credits include Tarzan, Harriet the Spy, Now and Then, Exit to Eden, A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, "Will & Grace," and "Queer as Folk." O'Donnell, who is a also known as a vocal advocate of gay and lesbian rights, is married to Kelli Carpenter O'Donnell, with whom she has four children.

The Gilda's Club Worldwide Benefit Gala will take place on Thursday evening May 18 at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Ballroom (80 Columbus Circle at West 60 Street, in the Time Warner Center).  Cocktail reception begins at 7:00 PM. Dinner and auction are at 8:00 PM.  Tickets are $1,000 and $2,500. For info, call 914-579-1000.  

Visit www.gildasclub.org or www.charitybuzz.com for more information.