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community focus First Michigan Hope Lodge will offer home away from home for cancer patients Imagine facing a cancer diagnosis and your only hope for survival is to have treatment far from home. In addition to preparing for the rigorous demands of cancer treatment, you need to combat the stress of finding affordable long-term lodging and transportation.  This is the challenge facing approximately 3,800 patients traveling to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for treatment each year. With multiple cancer centers and cancer research in the area, the American Cancer Society, Great Lakes Division, recognized the need for a residential facility that can accommodate patients traveling to Grand Rapids. On October 10, 2006, ACS officials and local dignitaries broke ground on the $6.8 million Hope Lodge, which includes the Peter M. Wege Guest House, as well as the Bob and Barbara Wood Community Center. The facility, expected to open in the fall of 2007, will provide complimentary overnight accommodations and transportation for cancer patients and their caregivers receiving treatment in Grand Rapids. To portray how the Hope Lodge will be a temporary home, the groundbreaking had a Comforts of Home theme. With 21 Hope Lodges across the nation, this will be the first in Michigan. It is expected to accommodate about 600 guests and provide 7,200 free nights of lodging for cancer patients and caregivers annually. The facility will have 20 private guest suites, a great room, four kitchens, three living rooms, two laundry rooms, an exercise room, a library with Internet access, an outdoor garden, two conference rooms, and the local ACS office. It will be a comfortable home for patients, regardless of where they choose to receive treatment in the area. "The Hope Lodge, which is specifically designed for adult cancer patients and caregivers, will help to meet the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of cancer patients that are critically important in the healing process," said Nancy Yaw, incoming CEO of the ACS, Great Lakes Division. The lodging area is named after Peter Wege, who donated $1 million, the single largest donation. Because of his commitment to the environment, the Hope Lodge will meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council, and become the nation’s first Hope Lodge to meet these criteria. Although the ACS campaign is still short of its $6.8 million goal, it is hopeful that community support will help raise the remaining $800,000. For more information about the campaign or to pledge a gift, call the American Cancer Society at 616-364-2540. Pictured above: Artist rendering of the future Hope Lodge. | |
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