The Paul Stefan Home consists of two houses that were refurbished by founder Randy James with the help of contractors and volunteers. View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

A haven of hope for unwed mothers

Paul Stefan Home in Orange helping unwed mothers get their lives on track

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Date published: 5/9/2009

BY ROBIN KNEPPER

Jennifer Arnold talks easily about her life before and after the birth of her son, Emmanuel.

"I know how my life looks," she says, "but this baby is giving me hope. I feel it's God's way for me and Jada and Makayla."

Jadalyn, 5, and Makayla, 6, are Emmanuel's sisters. They live in Stafford County in the custody of Jennifer's mother.

Arnold and her 8-month-old son are living at the Paul Stefan Home, a safe haven for unwed mothers near Unionville in Orange County founded by former home-builder Randy James and his wife, Evelyn.

Arnold arrived there after a difficult journey from a fast-paced life in Northern Virginia and Washington through the grief and turmoil of widowhood, drug and alcohol use, family disintegration, unemployment, major health problems and homelessness.

"I'd been living in a shelter in Manassas and I was almost five months pregnant," she says. "I was as big as a house and I could feel the clock ticking in my head. I'd been looking for a job, but I didn't look employable. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay for long in the shelter."

A nurse she knew from her visits to the health department suggested the Paul Stefan Home. Soon after, Arnold received a call from Patricia Newman, the home's clinical director at the time.

"She was so sweet," Arnold recalls. "She listened to me blubbering out my story. I kept saying, 'I'm bad, I'm bad,' and Patricia kept saying, 'I don't think it'll be a problem.'"

Arnold made an appointment and her mother drove her to Orange County for a look-see.

"We're driving down the road and I see nothing but land--and cows--and I lost my cell-phone signal," she recalls with a laugh. "Where's the Metro station or the bus stops? I wonder. How do people survive out here?

"The baby's kicking and I have butterflies in my stomach. We drive up to the house. I see Catholic symbols by the door, and that threw me off a little bit. I wondered if there were nuns here.

GETTING STARTED The two houses that make up the Paul Stefan Home needed a lot of work. Randy James, a former home-builder, got the first one habitable in 22 days with help from fellow contractors. He finished the second one almost single-handedly. Furnishing and decorating were done by volunteers, many of whom attend church with Randy and Evelyn James. RESIDENCY RULES Originally a two-year limit was set for mothers to live in the home, but the Jameses have found that each mother and child presents a unique situation. The first resident still lives there and will be able to stay until her particular needs are addressed. Other mothers have stayed a few weeks or a few months--sometimes longer. The average stay is about a year, said Evelyn James, but it depends on the individual needs of the new families. COVERING COSTS Transco, a transcontinental pipeline company with a local facility nearby, leases the 70 acres to the Paul Stefan Foundation for $1 a year. It costs the foundation, of which Randy James is chief executive officer, almost $100,000 a year to operate the two houses. The main costs are staff and household expenses. Additional money is required to cover fundraising for the nonprofit foundation. While the foundation gets a little money from the United Way and local businesses, 80 percent to 90 percent of its donations come from churches, James said. Volunteer and in-kind services, along with donated goods, are valued at nearly $25,000 a year. One of the Paul Stefan Foundation's most successful fundraising campaigns involves handing out empty baby bottles in churches. Parishioners fill them with loose change and return them. This effort has gone high-tech with the introduction of the virtual baby bottle campaign. A donor can give a minimum of $10 in the name of his or her mother, and an e-card will be sent to her. "It's a way to let your mom know that you and she helped a woman in need," said foundation CEO Randy James. For more information, visit paulstefanhome.org and click on Baby Bottle Campaign.

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Date published: 5/9/2009

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