Delivering Hope at American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge

For cancer patients, there is so much more to manage than just their health. Treatment is often far from home, and travel expenses can be just as costly as medical expenses. To alleviate some of this pressure, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has developed Hope Lodge.

Hope Lodge offers cancer patients and their caregivers a free place to stay when their best hope for effective treatment may be in another city. Not having to worry about where to stay or how to pay for lodging allows guests to focus on getting better. Hope Lodge provides a nurturing, home-like environment where guests can retreat to private rooms or connect with others.

A Kind gesture opens the door to big opportunities.

Impressed by Hart’s quick work and willingness to pitch in, the leaders at ACS asked Hart and his team at Latitude to manage the design, production, and installation of exterior and interior signage for the new Hope Lodges in Jackson, Mississippi; and Houston, Texas. Aside from the Hope Lodges, Latitude has been asked to design and create new donor room signage for, Gainseville, Greenville, Charlotte, Tampa, & Dallas. “While brand consistency from location to location is vital, each location also has its own personality,” Hart says. “Hope Lodges are funded through generous donations, so donor recognition is a complex and important piece of each interior signage project for ACS.” Interior wayfinding signs are also unique to each location. “One size definitely doesn’t fit all,” Hart says. “Each Hope Lodge reflects the style of the city it’s in, and some of the warmer climate locations have welcoming outdoor spaces that differ from other floor plans. Luckily our project managers are adept at tracking the details of every custom sign for every location.” For Hart, his experience with the American Cancer Society exemplifies what differentiates Latitude from other companies. “We’re a family-owned business that’s been taking care of customers for decades. Going the extra mile to get things right isn’t a special request. It’s what we do every day. And when we show up for our clients with the solutions they need, we all win,” Hart says.

Opportunity Knocks

When the ACS was building a Hope Lodge in Omaha, Justin Hart, Business Development Manager for Latitude Latimer Group, put in a bid to complete all the exterior and interior architectural signs. He didn’t get the project, but he kindly offered to help if they ever needed anything.

Not long after that, Hart got a call. There was an issue with the custom signs they’d ordered, and the American Cancer Society needed help getting everything installed in time for the scheduled grand opening of Omaha’s Hope Lodge. Even though it wasn’t an Latitude project, Hart rallied his team and made sure all the interior signage, from donor recognition plaques to wayfinding signage to ADA code compliant signage, was up and ready to greet guests when the doors opened.

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