Take a Minute to be a Hero - A Vote for New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is a Vote for Hope Lodge

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is asking fans - and anyone who wants to fight back against cancer - to join him in supporting the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge® in New Orleans by voting for him in a promotion called the Pepsi Refresh Project. The promotion is designed to help people, businesses, and nonprofits with ideas that will have a positive impact on their communities.

As part of the upcoming Super Bowl festivities, Brees and two other National Football League (NFL) players - New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware - are featured in Pepsi's nationwide promotion, along with their chosen projects. The public can vote on the project they care about the most, and the player's project that receives the most votes will receive a $100,000 grant from Pepsi. Brees said, "Even if fans aren't backing me on Sunday, I'm hoping they will support my idea." Click here to cast your vote by Thursday, February 4, at 11:59 p.m. EST. You can also vote by texting "DREW" to PEPSI (73774). The recipient of the grant will be announced on February 5.

The NFL's Web site features videos with each of the three players talking about their projects. Brees narrates the video highlighting the Society's Hope Lodge in New Orleans, which includes footage taken recently at the facility. Click here to watch the video. While Brees is supporting the Hope Lodge located in New Orleans, this is a great opportunity to build awareness for all Hope Lodge locations across the country.

About Hope Lodge®:

"The Hope Lodge was a real lifesaver..." - A Hope Lodge guest

"We live over 100 miles away and there was no way we could have afforded my treatments, plus hotel, gas, and food expenses. My wife and I made it through this battle because Hope Lodge and the American Cancer Society were there for me."
- A cancer survivor

Facing cancer is hard. Having to travel out of town for treatment can make it even harder. Yet the American Cancer Society has a place where cancer patients and their families can find help and hope when home is far away - an American Cancer Society Hope Lodge.

Each Hope Lodge offers cancer patients and their families a free, temporary 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 Hope Lodge guests to focus on the most important thing: getting well.

And a Hope Lodge offers so much more than just free lodging. It provides a nurturing, home-like environment where patients and caregivers can retreat to private rooms or connect with others who are going through many of the same experiences.

"Hope Lodge is a place filled with love and support from strangers who quickly become family." - A guest of Hope Lodge in Atlanta, Georgia

Every Hope Lodge also offers a variety of resources and information about cancer and how best to fight the disease. There is access to the American Cancer Society's 24-hour toll-free call center and Web site, as well as a comprehensive on-site library designed to help patients and caregivers make informed decisions.

Simply put, Hope Lodge is a place created to ease the burden of cancer treatment - a place where we give hope a home.

Currently, there are 29 Hope Lodge locations throughout the United States. Accommodations and eligibility requirements may vary by location, and room availability is first come, first served. To find a Hope Lodge and to learn more about a specific facility, please visit that location's page, or call the American Cancer Society toll free anytime, day or night, at 1-800-ACS-2345.

If there is not a Hope Lodge in your area, please call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 for more information. Also you can visit Joe's House for additional lodging resources or enter your zip code on www.cancer.org's Find Local Resources page and select the category Housing.