Dear Friends,
I would like to thank you for visiting the Steven’s
Hope for Children website. It shouldn’t
take long to figure out that my wife, Sandy, and
I started this organization to try and help families
at a very challenging moment in their lives. It’s
true, that we lost our son, but in the years since
his short stay on this earth with us, we have
gained so much more than we possibly imagined.
From our own personal experience, and with the
knowledge gained from hospital social workers
and other nonprofits, we set out to make a difference.
The first step was starting “Housing for
Hope” (formerly called Travel For Treatment).
Our idea was simple: provide a home-style place
to live for a child recovering from serious illness
or injury while unable to return home because
of their treatment. At first, we rented one apartment.
Then, a second, and then a third. The results
have been tremendous. Occupancy rates are near
90% and we have assisted children across the Inland
Empire of southern California, and our reach has
extended to Texas, Nevada, Georgia, Washington,
New York, Mexico, Japan, Korea and Turkey. Simple
ideas are sometimes the best.
With the success of our Housing for Hope program
in Loma Linda, we felt it was time to start our
second program: Fill A Need. The program started
in Loma Linda with the families we were housing
and was then expanded to the Loma Linda Ronald
McDonald House. Our desire to help more families
from the Inland Empire led Steven’s Hope
to expand the program again to include the NICU
Unit at San Antonio Community Hospital and the
Oncology Unit at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana.
We’re helping the families that need the
assistance. The dreams that Sandy and I had are
coming true – one child, one family at a
time.
We at Steven’s Hope feel very blessed.
For nonprofits, the first three to five years
is a very hard and financially difficult time.
It’s a time when people are starting to
learn about the organization. It’s a time
when people begin to recognize the necessity of
the work that is being done and start to associate
an organization with the program. It’s a
time when nonprofits figure out if their initial
goal and mission really is viable and that the
programs are getting results. It’s a time
when many nonprofits that are led by an entrepreneurial
visionary realize that it is just too much for
them and then close up shop. It has been a time
we were touched by the events of 9/11 and Katrina.
It has been all of those things for Steven’s
Hope as well.
We’ve had our financial challenges and
have been able to, by the Grace of God, make it
through. One thing that has never been questioned
has been the need for our programs. Housing for
Hope has been consistently in demand. The only
drawback to the Housing for Hope program is the
number of apartments that we have under control.
Three. Better than two. Not as good as four. And
definitely not ten.
At present, Steven’s Hope has a group of
its Directors that are trying to set the course
to be traveled to increase the number of residential
units we operate. This group is reviewing possibilities
to acquire and build, rehab, develop or modify
a property near Loma Linda University Medical
Center. For us, our next big step is our Project:
Building Hope. Our goal is to have ten to twelve
residential living units for our families. This
facility, would enable Steven’s Hope to
work with additional departments at Loma Linda
University Medical Center and Children’s
Hospital as well as other area hospitals providing
extended outpatient rehabilitation and treatment
for children away from home. It will also allow
us to expand our Fill A Need program to work with
other local organizations and to create more community
involvement with our families and their needs.
It is our hope to have the ability to offer support
services to the families during their stay with
us. Additionally, we look to have amenities to
enhance the family’s stay at our Steven’s
Hope House including a recreation/game room, on-site
house manager, picnic area, BBQ, a reading room,
local transportation van, etc., etc.
None of what we have accomplished would have
been possible without volunteers and financial
support from those who believe in our mission
and desired outcomes. As we go forward, it is
extremely important that our support level not
only stays constant; it needs to increase. The
experience we have gained over the last few years
has taken us down new roads of learning. That
learning has created many opportunities for volunteers
to participate and get involved with our operations
and events. There are numerous opportunities for
individuals, companies, clubs or groups to financially
support Steven’s Hope via donations, workplace
giving, or sponsorship of one of our events.
"Between hospital and home, there is hope.
Steven's Hope."
That tag line summarizes our goals. It's a matter
of dignity, family, caring. The strains of caring
for a recovering child while away from home can
be too much for a mother, a father, or the whole
family. That's where we come in. We hope that
you will join us in our efforts to help families
during their desperate time of need. I have said
that it takes a lot of straws to make a bale of
hay. I really do believe that. Steven’s
Hope needs lots of straw. We need people to help
gather that straw. Steven’s Hope is still
a relatively young organization. The efforts of
one person can be tremendously impactful in our
success. We hope you will become part of our family.
Sincerely,
Tony Cappelli
President, Co-Founder
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