American Cancer Society Raises Over $10 Million for Hope Lodge in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fighting cancer is hard enough. Patients shouldn’t have to worry about the financial burden and complication brought on by having to travel far from home to receive treatment. And soon, thanks to the American Cancer Society and generous donors, they won’t have to.

“The Hope Lodge will make it easier for more cancer patients to get the care they need. We’ve already received an outpouring of generosity, and with more help, we can have a tremendous impact on patients who are in dire need of relief and healing”

Today the Society announced funding progress for the Hope Lodge and revealed renderings of the facility that will offer complimentary accommodations for cancer patients and their caregivers who travel to Salt Lake for treatment. In less than one year, the American Cancer Society has raised over $10 million in the Salt Lake community, including a $4.2 million 2.2 acre land donation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in downtown Salt Lake at 375 East 100 South.

A lead donation of $2 million came from the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation. “We share the excitement and enthusiasm of so many others about the potential for the Hope Lodge to really make a difference for cancer patients and their families who travel here for treatment at our world-class healthcare centers—whether they’re from Utah’s rural communities or nearby states,” said Eccles Foundation Chairman & CEO Spencer F. Eccles. “We are especially mindful of the physical and emotional toll it can take when folks have to fight their cancer far from home, so we hope our grant – at this critical juncture – will help ensure that the Hope Lodge becomes a reality in Salt Lake City as soon as possible.”

Significant contributors to date include:

$750,000 from Intermountain Healthcare
$750,000 from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation
$400,000 from University of Utah Health Care

Additional gifts ranging from $300,000 to $100,000 have been received from:

Mark and Kathie Miller Family Foundation
Dr. Ezekiel and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation
Varian Medical Systems
Katherine W. and Ezekiel R. Dumke Foundation
Dean and Kim England
Cory and Carrie England
Katie Eccles and Dave Burnett

National sponsors Whirlpool/Maytag and Kohler will contribute significant in-kind donations for the Lodge as well.

The Society must raise $15 million of the Lodge’s projected $18 million total project cost in order to begin construction. With $10 million already secured, the Society is now calling upon the public to raise the remaining funds to make the Hope Lodge a reality. Construction is estimated to begin in early 2014 and open doors to patients in fall 2015.

One of 31 Hope Lodges across the United States, the Salt Lake City Hope will be the first to serve the Intermountain West, which includes Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming and Colorado. Salt Lake City was chosen to house American Cancer Society’s newest Hope Lodge because of its seven premier treatment centers that draw a high volume of patients coming from outside the Salt Lake valley. Projected to be 63,000 square feet and capable of housing 42 patients at any time, it is estimated the Lodge will serve nearly 800 patients and provide over 15,000 room nights annually.

“The Hope Lodge will make it easier for more cancer patients to get the care they need. We’ve already received an outpouring of generosity, and with more help, we can have a tremendous impact on patients who are in dire need of relief and healing,” said Pam Higginson, Vice President and Hope Lodge Campaign Director for American Cancer Society Great West Division. “There is an urgent need for a Hope Lodge in Salt Lake. The need is clear, and the need is now.”

To donate and help bring the Hope Lodge to the Intermountain West, stay updated on construction efforts or find more information please visit hopelodgeutah.org.

About The American Cancer Society Utah

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end cancer for good. As a global grassroots force of three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping you stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early, helping you get well by being there for you during and after a diagnosis, by finding cures through groundbreaking discovery and fighting back through public policy. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.8 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, an estimated 13.7 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.