Steven’s Hope for Children
Opening 3rd Apartment

Just 32 hours of life for Steven have become a lifetime commitment for the newborn’s parents Sandy and Tony Cappelli.

Upland-based Steven’s Hope for Children Inc., a nonprofit organization providing temporary housing and goods and services to families of seriously ill children needing long-term outpatient treatment at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, is opening a third apartment Sept. 1 thanks to $35,000 raised during a golf tournament held May 18 at Trilogy Golf Course in Glen Ivy.

“It’s a major expense of keeping two residences going. We’ve been waiting for an apartment for months now,” said Tony Cappelli, co-founder and president.
He said even if parents opt for temporarily leasing an apartment on their own, there are other expenses to deal with including phone, utilities, food, and furniture.

“Your child may have just gotten over almost dying. While your child is recovering from a serious illness, the last thing on your mind is going out and trying to find some place to live. You don’t want to leave your child,” he said.
The Cappelli’s, whose son, Steven, died 32 hours after being born in December 2000 with hypoplastic left heart complications, will talk to the Loma Linda redevelopment agency this week about land purchase opportunities to build a six-to-10-unit facility which would eliminate having to rent apartments.
“Ultimately it’s too expensive to do it (renting apartments). We’re not getting a break,” said Sandy Cappelli, vice president.

She said by building their own apartment complex or refurbishing an existing one for Steven’s Hope they will have more control and won’t have to wait months for an apartment to become available for families in need. An on-site apartment manager would free Sandy Cappelli to spend more time with their 4-year-old twins and the couple’s Upland based insurance business.
“Right now it’s me racing out there if anybody needs to get checked in. It’s too hard for us to try to do this,” said Sandy who cleans an apartment before it’s occupied and also grocery shops if needed. “The goal is to have more people stay.”

The first apartment opened in June 2003 and the second opened in the same complex in January. So far Steven’s Hope has been able to accommodate eight families. Families such as the 22-year old Hesperia mom whose 7-month-old daughter, Brittany, just received a new heart and needs to stay close to the hospital. A 14-year-old Ontario girl stayed at a Hope apartment for six weeks while recovering from a liver transplant. Currently, 12-year-old Victoria, whose father is stationed at Ft. Irwin, is in the second apartment recovering from a post stem cell transplant complication.

Depending on the situation, visits can last from four months to six weeks.
“My target for our fall event in November is to make the announcement we’ve got land, have a basic plan and we’re kicking off our capital campaign,” Tony Cappelli said. “The plans have really come along faster than we expected. We’ve had a lot of support.”

He said families receiving heart or liver transplants and other life procedures need to be within a 10-minute radius of the hospital after a procedure. It’s a hardship for a family to try and maintain two residences. Most Inland Empire cities are beyond that time restraint.

Meanwhile, the Cappelli’s said support has been growing. They will sell tickets to the second annual Concert Under the Stars at the Herb and Kay Hafif estate in La Verne for Oct. 1-3; the Ladies of Chrome and Leather will have a fund-raiser, Ride For Hope, on Oct. 23, the National Make a Difference Day; and the first Steven’s Hope annual Disco Ball is being planned for Nov. 13.
“Doors keep opening and it keeps getting breezy,” Tony Cappelli said.
If anyone knows of land available in the Loma Linda area, please contact the Cappellis. Steven’s Hope for Children is located at 1014 W. Foothill Blvd., Suite B, Upland, CA 91786 or call (866) 378-3836 or (909) 373-0678. The Web site for Steven’s Hope is www.stevenshope.org.