Kordyban Lodge offers generous residents a way to give locally

If it’s a local non-profit you’re looking to support this holiday season, here’s one that’s a little less known and such a worthy cause - Kordyban Lodge provides a home away from home for patients and their caregivers travelling to Prince George for cancer treatment.

Providing home-cooked meals and a place for weary patients to lay their heads is something individual and corporate donors can do through the Holiday Campaign.

“Kordyban Lodge is really important to the community and really to all of Northern BC,” Jodi Drover, client services coordinator at Kordyban Lodge, said. “Travelling away from home can be a huge financial burden for most people and to stay at the Lodge where your accommodations and your meals are provided at a fraction of the cost of staying at hotels and eating at restaurants - that’s really a huge relief to people to be able to come and stay at an affordable place that includes their lodging and their meals.”

The Kordyban Lodge has caring staff and volunteers helping clients meet their practical needs during treatment and offer social and emotional support through multiple programs and activities.

Funded by the Canadian Cancer Society and donors, each client and their caregiver’s stay is offset so prices are kept low.

Still, when finances are stretched due to being unable to work during treatment, a cancer patient's burden can be lifted with a donation, Drover added.

To donate to the holiday campaign, there are several options to give to something specific like the gift of a nutritious meal, a night’s accommodation or a week’s lodging.

“So that’s definitely how people can help through the Holiday Campaign,” Drover said.

Kordyban Lodge is located so close to the Cancer Centre for the North that it is connected by a covered walkway, making it a convenient place to stay.

“I like to tell people when they are booking into the lodge that the Cancer Agency is in our backyard,” Drover said. “They can go out our back door and through the gate and it’s literally a couple of minutes walk away.”

People come to Kordyban Lodge as strangers and they leave as friends, Drover said.

“The lodge isn’t like a hotel where you go and stay in your room, it’s really a place for people to come and just be in the common areas, chat with other guests, or with staff and volunteers,” Drover said. “There’s a place they can go and sit and watch a movie together or just sit and have a coffee. It’s really a place where you can come and feel supported during your journey.”

In the Kordyban Lodge, there are 18 rooms and 34 beds. Because of the Cancer Society’s Peace of Mind campaign a stay at Kordyban Lodge is set at  $31.50 per night for each guest.

“That includes your room, all meals and snacks, there is a laundry room, housekeeping, wifi, parking and it’s just a really affordable place to stay,” Drover said. “Thanks to the donors in Northern BC we’ve been able to keep the rate low for the last two years.”

Give the gift of support at https://giftsforthecure.ca/?utm_source=vaf-gifts-um&utm_campaign=giftsforthecure2021 or a nutritious meal at https://giftsforthecure.ca/products/a-nutritious-meal