Welcome to Stephanie’s House

Our wedding in 2010. We all married Andy Ludwig!

February 11, 2010 – Update – we have raised close to $105,000!! We need to keep going. This is a never-ending, fund raising challenge on so many levels. Think about it. We want a house here in the Delaware Valley and although house prices are at an all time low, if we put the $100,000 down on a suitable place, we still have to pay the mortgage, utilities, upgrades for autism, a staff, care, food, maintenance.

We have only scratched the surface!!!

See our story video on YouTube.

So many have asked just HOW we are going to make this happen. Trust me when I tell you that we are doing our homework behind the scenes and what we are finding leads us right back to exactly WHY we, as parents, are fund raising. Unless things change in a huge way from a government funding perspective, there is not going to be enough to take care of all of these autistic kids and adults.

We are looking at a $300,000 home. I refuse to put our children in anything less than a wonderful place. I am not talking a palace, but cozy, clean and bright. In a great, quiet neighborhood. We will have a mortgage, taxes, utilities, maintenance, insurance on many levels. We will need a van to transport our gals and gas. We will need a houseparent and a staff who need to be paid and probably will want benefits. We will need to feed, clothe and entertain these gals.

Our fund raising will be responsible for MUCH of how this home will run. I do not expect much to come in from the government. What will Medicaid, Social Security and disability waivers provide? Hopefully, something. The rest will have to come from our non-profit, grants, donations and assistance from the families of our residents.

We have a LONG way to go.

There are legal fees, endless meetings, paperwork … and very few who are willing to donate services. WHY is that??? Here is a mom who is NOT looking to sit back and let the government take care of my daughter as an obligation. I am out working tirelessly to provide for myself and for others. You would be amazed how many doors get slammed in my gracious, kind and loving face. And yet, I am always the first to give to anyone what they ask for … that is not going to end.

This organization and its mission need to be bigger than anything out there and it needs to be built on a foundation that carries it far beyond my living years.

Right now, what we need are some generous LARGE benefactors. We need someone to send us a check for a million dollars or more to get us off the ground. Recently, in a spiritual reading with my medium friend, Alicia, my best friend came through from the other side and told me that we WOULD be successful. This would happen and that before I die 17 Stephanie’s Houses would be up and running across the country. We just need #1 to get us going and to show people that we can be the change the world needs.

1 in 75 children will be diagnosed this year with autism. Those children will grow up to be adults with autism who will need care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the rest of their lives. If you are reading this, please help us!

A huge thank you to everyone who supported our “Autism Shops event,” either online thru our Facebook page or by attending the event LIVE in Valley Forge, PA on Saturday, November 19. Looks like we will be close to raising $55,000 for this event!! THIS close to our goal for the year!!

If you happen to work for a company that will MATCH donated dollars, we hope you will give thoughtful consideration to our organization. We are small, but mighty. We are fiercely dedicated to making this happen! It HAS to happen.

Autism is not a disease that can be cured … it is a condition that must be managed in many different ways – from education to home care. This takes money. A lot of money!! In a perfect world, there is tons of cash earmarked for adult autism services … the fact of the matter is, every day more and more services get cut. I simply do not understand why services for the disabled are often the first to go when they are the gentle part of our society that needs the most urgent care.

I am a mom on a mission backed by a team of generous volunteers who get why we have to do this. You know, it is sad enough that I my daughter was taken from me in so many ways … I grieve every day for that loss. But I understand WHY. It does not make my grief any less, but it gives me a clear reason and mission.

I hope you can help us. Please donate!! Your donation is tax deductible!!

I have often spoke of this feeling I have about our lives ~ that each of us is here, for whatever amount of time, for a reason. A mission. Perhaps to leave this earth a little better than it was when we arrived. My mission has never been questioned. What began as a seed many, many years ago is now blooming and growing into an immense dream of a project that has to be given a formal start. And this is where the love story of “Stephanie’s House” will begin. My daughter Stephanie, who is severely autistic, will be 21 in 2 years. It seems like an eternity, but we know how quickly time passes and if I blink and do not get moving, my daughter and many young women like her, will be without a place to spend their lives. In the state of Pennsylvania, there are tens of thousands of adults, like Stephanie, who are on waiting lists to be placed in appropriate residential care facilities where they are provided a life of joy, dignity, worth and friendship. It will not be enough to bring her home in 2 years. She needs care 24/7 and with it, socialization, life skills, friendship and healthy activities. As a mother, it will also be a blessing to know she is living in a place that is safe and loving, especially after I am gone. With this in mind, I have made it my life mission to establish what I hope to be the first of many residential facilities for women with autism. We have called our first project “Stephanie’s House,” because we are a 501c3 non-profit organization whose goal it is to raise over $350,000 to buy our first home where my daughter, and 4 other young women, will reside beginning in 2013. It is a HUGE undertaking and one that will require me to reach out to the kindnesses of everyone I know.

We are an official 501c3 non profit recognized with all of the rights and legal privileges. All donated money is 100% tax deductible. We have had 2 large fund raisers “Autism Shops” where we have raised $50,000 of the money we need just to get into a house. We have less than 2 years to make this happen and in a world where everyone is looking for a donation, this has not been easy. My entire life is now dedicated to making this happen. We have had over 50 people nominate our family for Extreme Home Makeovers. We would like to see our older home taken down and replaced with the first, official technologically designed home that meets the safety requirements for adults and children with autism. This would be a place where innovation meets quality of life. Safety is a major issue. We need locks, monitors, and a way to communicate with these girls and, more importantly, we need a lovely, warm and engaging place for them to spend their adult lives. They love to swim, play on the computer … so much needs to be done. I am ready to make this happen and one person could be the beginning of inspiration for so many families!!

In the next decade, over 500,000 autistic children will reach the age of 21 and age out of the school system. Without appropriate housing and job opportunities, these people will be faced with a life of adult day care at a cost to their parents or they will be living out the rest of their lives in front of a TV set.

I will not let this happen.

I am a parent of a child with special needs. I let the “label” that they gave you fade away. I have let the stares at the grocery store dissolve right into the ground. I have abandoned the anger at a world not made for us. Instead, I am strong, forgiving and show compassion to those who could never understand. I build our new world. One filled with a peace that passes all logic or understanding. One that keeps us safe from harm. One that fills our heart with hope that we can be strong together. This is my miracle. HOPELights♥

Faithfully composed ~

Marie Louise Ludwig, mom on a mission