Press Releases

Two local foundations have committed to support the American Cancer Society with lead gifts for the renovation and expansion of the Winn-Dixie Hope Lodge of Atlanta, located on the edge of Emory University’s Clairmont campus.

Two $1 million grants from the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation and the Trailsend Foundation will make it possible for the American Cancer Society to continue to provide free lodging to cancer patients in Georgia and around the world when the best treatment options are far from home.

Since opening its doors in 1998, the Hope Lodge of Atlanta has provided more than 312,000 nights of free housing to cancer patients and caregivers, helping them save nearly $50 million in hotel expenses. In 2018 alone, the Atlanta Hope Lodge served 819 guests, providing 14,047 nights of free lodging and transportation to treatment to patients and their caregivers, saving families an estimated $2.6 million in hotel expenses.

“We are deeply grateful for the generous gifts from the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation and the Trailsend Foundation to help us renovate and expand the Atlanta Hope Lodge,” said American Cancer Society Chief Executive Officer Gary Reedy. “For more than 20 years, the Atlanta Hope Lodge has provided a free, comfortable home away from home for thousands of patients and their caregivers who travel to Atlanta to be treated at our world-class treatment centers. The Hope Lodge has been a lifesaver for patients who cannot afford to pay to stay in a hotel during weeks or even months of cancer treatment and may decide to forego treatment due to financial concerns.

“Thanks to the gifts to our Hope Lodge Hope Grows Here campaign, the American Cancer Society will be able to provide even more patients with lodging assistance, so they can focus on what really matters – getting well.”

Funds raised through the Hope Lodge Hope Grows Here campaign will allow the American Cancer Society to renovate the kitchen and dining areas, which serve as the heart of Hope Lodge. Plans also include expanding the capacity of the lodge by adding four suites, bringing the total number of guest suites up to 56 and providing up to 1,350 additional nights of lodging annually.