The Charleston Hope Lodge is an American Cancer Society hospitality house located on Calhoun Street in downtown Charleston. Established in 1970, Charleston Hope Lodge was the first facility of its kind and is currently one of 31 Hope Lodge locations in the United States.
The goal of American Cancer Society lodging programs is to ease the emotional, mental, and financial burdens patients and their families face during treatments. Many patients have to travel to receive the best care and facilities like the Charleston Hope Lodge offer comfortable accommodations for patients of all ages.
Hope Lodge facilities relieve cancer patients of the worry of finding places to stay when their best hope for effective treatment is in a city far from home, allowing them to focus on getting well. Guests have private rooms and an array of resources to help them fight disease. The lodging programs provide a home-like environment where patients have the opportunity to interact with others in similar situations.
To learn more about Charleston Hope Lodge, the Charleston Battery caught up with the manager of the Calhoun Street facility, Kelly Williams.
CB: What types of services does your facility provide?
KW: American Cancer Society Hope Lodges offer a solution to cancer patients who must undergo treatment far from home. Hope Lodges provide free, temporary housing for cancer patients and caregivers in an emotionally supportive “home away from home” environment. Staying at the Lodge helps to alleviate some of the financial and emotional burden faced by these families.
CB: What types of patients stay at your facility? How do you decide which patients get to stay? Is there a cost? If not, how are the patients’ stays funded?
KW: To stay at the Hope Lodge facility, you must be 18 or older, be in active cancer treatment, have a caregiver with you throughout your entire stay, and live 40 miles or further from your treatment center (15 miles for bone marrow transplant patients).
We do not charge our guests nor do we ask income levels, etc. If they meet the requirements above, they are selected on a first come, first serve basis.
We are funded primarily through donors of the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge program. We also benefit from local ACS events such as Relay for Life, Bark for your Life, and the Charleston Hope Ball.
CB: What sets your campus apart from others like it?
The Charleston Hope Lodge was the first ever Hope Lodge built with the origination of founder Margot Freudenberg. Our doors first opened to guests in 1970, where the first of many found their “home away from home” while undergoing treatment.
We are set apart by providing lodging at no cost, saving our guests a total of $780,000 in 2015 based on what guests would have had to pay for similar accommodations near their treatment centers. Last year alone the Hope Lodge provided over 5,200 nights of lodging to 311 guests.
CB: How can Battery fans get involved with your organization?
KW: Donations are always accepted and appreciated! It costs roughly $1,800 dollars a night to keep the Hope Lodge facility running and we are funded primarily through supporters like you. We also have various programs to get involved in. From our “Dining with Hope” program that provides free dinners for our guests every Monday–Thursday night, to having a simple bingo night with prizes! Our door is always open to community support.
