American Cancer Society Completes Demolition Phase of Hope Lodge® Campaign, Continuing the Legacy of Former LDS Meetinghouse

In an innovative approach to deconstruction, the Hope Lodge leveraged the original donation from the LDS church to extend its benefits and further help the community

Salt Lake City, March, 03, 2014 –American Cancer Society proudly announced today it will begin the next phase in building a Hope Lodge® in Utah, a free home-away-from-home for cancer patients traveling to Salt Lake City to receive care. While it will still continue fundraising to reach its total campaign goal, the Society will complete the demolition of the former LDS meetinghouse on site. Utilizing a new approach to deconstruction and demolition, the non-profit has extended the benefits of the original land and building donation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help even more people across the state.

“We have rallied together with donors from the community to fight cancer in a very real way and it’s deeply rewarding to see those efforts taking shape and moving forward in this next phase of the campaign,” said Katie Eccles, Hope Lodge Board Chair. “We have implemented an exciting and innovative model where non-profits work together to magnify donations and help as many people as possible. We have worked to extend what was originally a single donation to Hope Lodge and touched even more people throughout the community.

The American Cancer Society has brought new life to the former LDS church building on the site by extending its resources to people across the state. Utahns have felt its legacy of hope through American Cancer Society’s braiding with Habitat for Humanity. Together the organizations harvested materials from the church building to build homes for needy families or as donations to Habitat’s retail store, ReStore, where recycled materials are sold and profits go to families in need. To date, it is the largest material donation Habitat for Humanity has received in Utah. Items ranging from woodwork to hardware and lighting fixtures were removed from the building to be reused in various ways.

The American Cancer Society also removed five, 30-foot pine trees on site and transported them to the Navajo Tribe near Mexican Hat in San Juan County where they will re-use the natural resources. Affordable Tree Care donated the tree removal and Tramcor Corporation donated the transportation of the trees from Salt Lake to the Navajo reservation. Although a longer and more demanding process, this deconstruction ultimately helped many in the community and kept several tons of building material out of Utah landfills. As the final demolition takes place, the remaining materials will be properly separated and sorted for additional reuse and recycling.

Fundraising efforts for Hope Lodge have raised $14.8 million of the $18 million needed to bring the resource to Utah. The American Cancer Society continues to call on the community and donors to raise the remaining funds in order to begin the building of the facility.

“We have received many generous donations and are making visible progress, but the realization of opening the doors of Hope Lodge to cancer patients and their caregivers still requires additional support,” said Pam Higginson, Vice President and Hope Lodge Campaign Director for the American Cancer Society Great West Division. “Cancer patients shouldn’t have to worry about lodging arrangements or burdensome travel costs. We are committed to bringing them this remarkable house of healing to let them concentrate on what’s most important—getting well. This demolition is yet another step forward in making this happen.”

The final demolition of the building will be performed as part of a generous donation from the demolition division of A-Core Concrete Cutting Inc. The demolition of the building is set to begin on Monday, March 3rd, 2014 and the Society hopes to open its doors during the summer of 2015. R&O Construction has been selected as the builder of Hope Lodge.

“The mission of Hope Lodge is one that A-Core is proud to support and help advance for our community members,” said Jake Rodgers, Vice President, A-Core Concrete Cutting Inc. “We look forward to seeing this corner of downtown Salt Lake City once again become a center for hope and healing as The American Cancer Society continues the legacy left by the previous building.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated the piece of land and building on the corner of 100 South and 400 East in downtown Salt Lake City to the American Cancer Society in 2011 after several years of non-use. The corner lot will once again be a refuge of hope as it is transformed into a free home-away-from-home for cancer patients and their caregivers who travel to Salt Lake to receive treatment. In 2013, nearly 11,000 Utahns were diagnosed with cancer and approximately 4,500 traveled to Salt Lake to receive care.

The Hope Lodge will also house the regional American Cancer Society offices and serve as a complete cancer resource center, bringing with it the many quality of life programs and events offered by the American Cancer Society such as Relay for Life®, Reach to Recovery®, Road to Recovery® and the Look Good…Feel Better® program.

To learn how to volunteer with the American Cancer Society or to make a donation to Hope Lodge, visit hopelodgeutah.org.

About the American Cancer Society Utah
The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers saving lives and fighting for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. As the largest voluntary health organization, the Society’s efforts have contributed to a 20 percent decline in cancer death rates in the U.S. since 1991, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates. Thanks in part to our progress nearly 14 million Americans who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will celebrate more birthdays this year. As we mark our 100th year of service, we’re determined to finish the fight against cancer. We’re finding cures as the nation’s largest private, not-for-profit investor in cancer research, ensuring people facing cancer have the help they need and continuing the fight for access to quality health care, lifesaving screenings, clean air, and more. For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

Media Contact:
Emilee McConkie

801.305.1447