(Burlington, VT)- The brand new American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, Lois McClure – Bee Tabakin Building opened in January 2008 for patients traveling to Burlington, VT, for outpatient treatment.

There is no cost to stay, and family members are welcome, too. To learn more, call Angela Putnam, its director, at 802.658.0649.

The new, 13,000-square-foot facility at 237 East. Ave., close to Fletcher Allen Health Care, will provide free temporary housing and support services to more than 2,000 cancer patients and their families each year. It triples the capacity of the small, non-handicapped accessible house down the street, which the American Cancer Society has operated as a Hope Lodge since 1983.

The new Lodge is named in honor of two lifelong Burlington area friends, Lois McClure and Bee Tabakin, who had the honor of cutting the ribbon at a Nov. 14, 2007 ceremony attended by more than 100 volunteers, benefactors, Hope Lodge guests, neighbors, and local campaign committee members. Lois McClure of Shelburne is the founding donor for the campaign, and Beatrice “Bee” Tabakin of Burlington is a longtime volunteer for the Society and a member of the Hope Lodge campaign committee. Both women have lost daughters and other family members to cancer, and Ms. Tabakin is herself a cancer survivor.

Richard F. Branda, M.D., co-chair of the Campaign for a New Hope Lodge, an oncologist at Fletcher Allen Health Care, and Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society’s New England Division, said, “Housing is an important element in the care of cancer patients traveling long distances to the Burlington area; and this new facility is so much more than housing – it is a home away from home.”

The new handicapped accessible Lodge features 16 private suites, including accommodations for immune-suppressed patients, and 24-hour staffing. There are common living and dining areas, quality of life and cancer resource centers, and space for complementary therapies such as yoga and massage. Guests come from Vermont and other New England states, from New York, Canada, and beyond.

The fundraising campaign for the new facility is part of a larger campaign being conducted by the American Cancer Society’s New England Division, named “The New England Campaign to Advance the Pace of Progress.” Other components of the campaign include the construction of a Hope Lodge in Boston, additional funds for cancer research, and funds to establish cancer patient navigators in designated hospitals across New England.

Continued financial support is needed to cover the ongoing operating costs of the new Lodge. To learn how you can help, with a gift or as a volunteer, please visit our Hope Lodge Burlington Web site or call Hilary Casillas, American Cancer Society state vice president for development, at 802.872-6313.

Read our Fall 2008 Newsletter.