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An outpouring of community support and a concern for helping cancer patients reach their treatments brings Hope Lodge to the Lone Star State. By Lisa Waterman Gray
Photography by Bert Vanderveen At the same time that Lubbock, Texas–area cancer physicians—led by Harry Weitlauf, MD, of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center—were discussing the need to improve access to cancer treatment facilities for patients from surrounding rural areas, the American Cancer Society was considering the needs of these patients, too. As the community rallied around this cause, it became clear that a Society Hope Lodge could help meet patient needs. Fast forward to April 21, when the groundbreaking occurred for the new Hope Lodge Lubbock. “This is the first American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Texas, the farthest west location and one of only a few in a less urban location,” says local attorney Don Curry, the Society’s volunteer fundraising co-chair for the project. “Everybody is extremely excited about it.”The 32-room Hope Lodge Lubbock will open in 2010 thanks, in large part, to generous donations from The CH Foundation and the Helen Jones Foundation. Named for local sisters Christine DeVitt and Helen DeVitt Jones, heirs to a Texas ranching and oil fortune, each foundation has pledged $1.5 million (see sidebar). Hearts as Big as Texas Before the charitable foundations that bear their names pitched in to make the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Lubbock a reality, Christine DeVitt and Helen DeVitt Jones had the desire to invest their family’s vast resources back into the community.Their father, David DeVitt, left New York for Texas in 1880; their mother, Florence, was a Waco native. In 1903, David purchased the Mallet Land and Cattle Company, where oil and gas were later discovered, and the first oil well began production in 1938. Since then, more than 1,000 wells have produced millions of barrels of oil. Using her inheritance, Christine personally provided education for many local residents, including children of ranch employees, and made multiple contributions to educational institutions. She died in Lubbock in 1983 at age 98. Her remaining wealth is now invested in The CH Foundation, which has made more than $51 million in grants throughout the Lubbock area since 1984. Helen attended Texas Christian University and the University of California, then returned to Texas and married Lee S. Secrest, with whom she had one daughter, Dorothy Gail. She later married W. Tom Jones, a family friend and ranch manager. Helen died in Lubbock in 1997 at age 97. She established the Helen Jones Foundation in 1984 to support fine arts and other organizations working with public schools and college students. “The Society came and talked to us about a year and a half ago,” says Don Graf, executive director of The CH Foundation. “We haven’t made many [grants] of this size, but we were aware of the need; caregivers frequently have to spend days or weeks away from home with their family members who are receiving treatment.” Hope Lodge Lubbock will join the 28 other Hope Lodge locations in the United States and Puerto Rico already working to help patients get well. Easing the cost of cancer care More than 3,400 people from Lubbock/West Texas/Eastern New Mexico received cancer diagnoses last year. Approximately two-thirds traveled more than 100 miles one way for treatment in Lubbock. The long distances and extra travel expenses mean some patients may face their treatments unaccompanied by their loved ones while others simply cannot afford the additional costs for meals, lodging and gas, and forego treatment altogether. Hope Lodge Lubbock will provide free temporary housing for patients and caregivers who live outside a 50-mile radius of the city while they are undergoing treatment. Located on two acres donated by Texas Tech University, the Hope Lodge will resemble a Spanish Renaissance house with a Southwestern color palette inside and offer furnished suites with two full-size beds, a private bath and a television, among other comforts of home.Guests also may use on-site kitchen and laundry facilities, conference rooms, a library, dining and meditation rooms, wireless Internet and free transportation to and from local treatment facilities. Society volunteers and trained staff will provide emotional support, information and compassion. James C. Arnold, president and executive director of the Helen Jones Foundation, said discussions with both Weitlauf (who now serves on the Hope Lodge committee) and the Society made it clear that Hope Lodge could address local patient needs. “I made a presentation to our board of directors, and they had an immediate positive response,” he says. Putting community first The Society is working to raise the remaining $1 million needed to complete the construction of Hope Lodge Lubbock. In addition to the gifts from The CH Foundation and the Helen Jones Foundation, additional funds have come from other area philanthropic organizations as well as individual donors. David Seim, co-chair with Curry of the fundraising campaign and vice chair of Plains Capital Bank, says he believes that Hope Lodge Lubbock is key to improving access to treatment for area cancer patients. “I don’t think, for our community, that this could come at a better time,” he says. “When we think in terms of people having to travel a long distance for treatment, cancer care is a very demanding experience emotionally, physically and financially.” To learn how you can support Hope Lodge, or to find the nearest Hope Lodge location, visit cancer.org/hopelodge or call 1-800-227-2345.
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