At our 20th Anniversary Bash, held October 30, 2018, we honored and celebrated three community leaders for their giving hearts and extraordinary community impact. Among the three was The Sprintz Family and Sprintz Furniture. Learn more about their Gilda’s story in this excerpt from the event program.
When the Sprintz family was first introduced to Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee, it was under incredibly difficult circumstances. Karen, the wife of Bruce Sprintz, had been diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, and her family of four, including the couple’s two young boys, was reeling. When Karen’s close friend, Felice Apolinsky, encouraged she and Bruce to consider looking to Gilda’s Club for help, they did. What they found when they walked through that red door, Bruce says, was warmth, support, and community.
“It was such a warm environment. To be in a place where people understood what we were going through and could empathize with us – and help guide us through the crazy 12-year journey we went on – was an amazing thing to have,” he says.
Sadly, Karen passed away in 2012 at age 51, but the Sprintz family – advocates for Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee from day one – continues to play an important role in assuring the organization’s ability to serve those impacted by cancer in Nashville and beyond.
“The Sprintz family personifies generosity in every conceivable way, obvious in each and every generation of their family,” says Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee Program Director Felice Apolinsky. “The generosity began with Karen Sprintz, who participated in and successfully completed the Gilda’s Gang half-marathon fundraiser, twice, walking a total of 26.2 miles while living with metastatic breast cancer.”
Following Karen’s death, the family’s generosity continued, Felice adds. “Lemonade stand proceeds were raised by Karen’s niece, Dailey Hall; fundraising efforts at Escape Day Spa were generated by her sister-in-law, Tami Sprintz Hall; and the Hillwood Women’s Golf Tournament designated proceeds because of her mother-in-law, Alyse Sprintz.”
The generosity of Bruce Sprintz and the Sprintz Furniture family has spanned more than a decade. Several years ago, one of the gifted Sprintz Furniture buyers, Deborah Al-Kurdi, designed the furniture at the downtown Nashville clubhouse. More recently, Wendy Neinken Sprintz spent seemingly countless hours designing Gilda’s Club’s beautiful new Williamson County space. On both occasions, Bruce Sprintz’s generosity was astounding.
“Because of the Sprintz Family and Sprintz Furniture donations, both of our locations are warm, cozy, home-like environments, where families impacted by cancer immediately feel embraced, safe, comfortable…and welcomed,” Felice says.
For all that the Sprintz Family and Sprintz Furniture have done and continue to do to support the success of Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee, we are honored to present them with the inaugural Dr. Gail Addlestone Community Building Award.