naturalheroes Debbe Magnusen and PROJECT CUDDLE Provide Simple Solutions to the Complex Problem of Baby Abandonment
By Tom Citrano
A baby is abandoned every 25 minutes in the United States.
This shocking statistic is what lead Debbe Magnusen to create Project Cuddle®. In founding this group, Debbe approached the complex problem of baby abandonment, infanticide and neonaticide with a clear and simple mission.
The mission of Project Cuddle is to stop this ever-growing epidemic and provide emotional support, and confidential, safe and legal options to the girls and women in crisis. The group is committed to helping these girls and women find ways to save unwanted babies and offer brighter futures for both baby and the biological mother.
In advancing their advocacy for these babies in crisis, Project Cuddle wants to raise awareness, hoping that frightened young women who find themselves pregnant will turn to Project Cuddle for confidential help, instead of facing the situation alone and making potentially bad decisions that could endanger the babies. Debbe Magnusen and Project Cuddle are our Natural Heroes for November.
Debbe Magnusen’s history as a child advocate predates her founding of Project Cuddle. Debbe fostered over 30 drug-exposed babies, while raising two biological children. She eventually adopted five of those children. But Debbe wanted to do more. Every time she heard of another abandoned baby, it was a cry to action for Debbe. Magnusen remembers, “I thought, gosh, if a mom just knew I was here, why wouldn’t she come to me?” This eventually lead her in 1996 to start the first crisis line, in her Orange County, California living room. Within twelve hours of starting the hot line, Debbe had her first desperate call for help.
The call was from a frightened woman that had hidden her pregnancy from everyone she knew. She was due to give birth and had no prenatal care or medical plans for delivery. Debbe had only days to orchestrate a safe and legal alternative to abandonment.
Project Cuddle was able to retain an attorney, a family wanting to rescue and adopt the baby, as well as an obstetrician, hospital and social services counselor. All were on board to assist and support both the birth mother and baby. Debbe Magnusen coached this woman through the delivery of a beautiful baby girl.
After the baby was delivered into the arms of the adoptive parents, the birth mother said to Debbe. “I feel like I’ve done something good for the first time.” Everyone involved had done ‘something good.’ The woman didn’t break the law, the baby was safe and a rescue couple was overjoyed at having a new daughter in their lives. Since then Debbe Magnusen and Project Cuddle have rescued more than 600 babies.
Project Cuddle was incorporated as a non-profit charity in 1994. A volunteer Board of Directors oversees the organization, but Debbe runs the group on a day-to-day basis, with the help of volunteers and a small paid staff. Volunteers play an important and varied role in the continued success of Project Cuddle, especially as they continue to reach frightened girls and women across the country and across the world.
Some volunteers may choose to embark on special training as hot line operators. These volunteers provide a compassionate and patient voice in listening and counseling crisis hot line callers. Other volunteers serve as community media liaisons, helping to create awareness of Project Cuddle, contacting media in their community with information and news releases from Project Cuddle.
Project Cuddle assists girls and women of all ages, races and backgrounds. The youngest was a pregnant 12 year-old and the oldest was a 47 year-old woman. Most have hidden their pregnancy from family and friends and call Project Cuddle as a last resort, shortly before or during their delivery. Debbe Magnusen stresses that one of the most important parts of the process is the hands-on work with each girl or woman, pre and post-delivery.
Respect, patience and care are always paramount in these exchanges. Project Cuddle continues to assist them after delivery, helping to establish future plans or to re-establish damaged family relations. Project Cuddle is not an adoption agency or facilitator. They charge nothing to the girls or families. Their only goal is to help each of them make a safe and legal decision. Approximately 60% of the girls and women ultimately decide to raise their babies themselves, many with help from Project Cuddle. Ms. Magnusen explains, “We often hold their hand as they tell their parents, or find them shelter if they’ve been kicked out.
Others may choose adoption, but it is completely up to her where the baby will go. She may work with an agency or choose to work privately with a lawyer. We want each girl or woman to make a decision they are comfortable with.”
Education plays an important role in Project Cuddle’s goal to reduce baby abandonment and neonaticide.
This lead to their creating the Believe campaign, designed to educate junior high and high school students about the problem and make them aware of better choices. A Chance to Live is the DVD they produced to let students know of safe and legal options, so that no baby ever has to be abandoned.
The video is hosted by Mary Stuart Masterson, and stars John Stamos, Kathy Najimy and Paula Abdul. All high schools in the State of California have been provided with this program. Project Cuddle is now making the DVD available to schools and audiences in other states. For more information about A Chance to Live, contact Project Cuddle at 714-432-9681.
Actor, John Stamos, is the National Spokesperson for Project Cuddle. John has been able to give Project Cuddle a sustained national platform through appearances on Oprah, Ellen and dozens of other talk show appearances, magazine and newspaper interviews. John explains the connection he feels to Debbe and Project Cuddle, “I was immediately taken with Debbe and Project Cuddle. Here’s this woman who was saving babies out of her garage.
My Mother hooked me up with her. I’d never been approached by a charity that was so tangible. She was actually saving babies! She would get a call about an abandoned baby, pick up the baby and find parents for the baby. And it was something that was such an easy sell for me to take around to Oprah and Ellen to get more national attention for Debbe and her work. I felt I could make the most real difference with this group…More than any other group or cause I’ve supported.” Stamos is currently producing a TV movie about Debbe Magnusen and Project Cuddle for Lifetime.
Project Cuddle is completely funded through donations. Those donations are what allow them to continue their mission. If you are interested in making an individual or corporate donation, please call 714-432-9681 or visit online at: projectcuddle.org. For more information about Project Cuddle or to find out about volunteer opportunities, visit their website at: projectcuddle.org.
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