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After years of planning and hard work, the Hope Light in Metropolis, Illinois, the first lighthouse built and dedicated to the fight against cancer, was officially dedicated this past November 5th.
Matt Parker, owner of the Parker Custom Machine Shop, who built the lighthouse and was appointed honorary light keeper by the Metropolis Hope Light Project, lit the lighthouse for the first time as chairman Bill Carrell proclaimed, “ Mr. Lighthouse Keeper, Let There Be Light.”
Rudy Bess, the founder and driving force behind the lengthy and worthy project, said that the lighthouse represents those who are fighting cancer, those who have beat cancer, and those who have been lost to cancer. People from all over the country contributed to the project or purchased memorial bricks that surround the one-of-a-kind lighthouse, one that has “meaning.” Although the teal colored daymark band represents the battle against ovarian cancer, it also represents the battle against all cancer. The lantern room represents the dark battle that all cancer patients go through. And the white tower represents the battle against lung cancer. The light in the tower represents hope, which is where the name of the lighthouse was derived.
Although the lighthouse is not an official aid to navigation on the river, Bess said, “We are an official navigator to help people navigate through the process of fighting cancer.”
The lighthouse has also been approved by the State of Illinois as an official tourist attraction, and official Interstate attraction signs will be placed along I-24 in addition to way-marker signs along the way to the lighthouse.
They still need help. Personalized bricks can still be ordered for the lighthouse property, and tax-deductible donations, as allowed by law, can be made toward the upkeep of the lighthouse by going to www.hopelightproject.com.
This story appeared in the
Jan/Feb 2015 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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