In 1986, 19-year-old Lowell Stafford’s seemingly carefree and generous donation of blood to his local blood bank proved to be everything but routine. It was then that this North Carolina student was shocked to learn that he had tested positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Amid personal alarm and subsequent resolve Lowell Stafford’s quest for aid, support and information was met by irrational fear of contagion, ignorance, and rejection among professional personnel at various medical centers and prevention services. Mr. Stafford’s decision to return to Orlando, Florida in 1991 to be closer to his family was pivotal. He was determined to make a difference in the lives of people, like himself, living with HIV/AIDS.
Miracle of Love, Inc. (MOL) is an organization founded by Mr. Stafford in 1991 for the distinct purpose of providing accessible HIV/AIDS prevention programming and supportive assistance to service the multicultural needs of communities in Central Florida, namely Orange, Seminole, Lake, and Osceola counties.
Today, Miracle of Love, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3). This community-based minority HIV/AIDS organization is the oldest in Central Florida. MOL continues to be, with over 29 valuable and outstanding years of service, a repository for education, support, care, community advocacy, and referral services.
Mr. Stafford’s initial selfless vision continues to soar through MOL. MOL continues to provide cutting-edge health and wellness education for participants and recipients, incorporating cultural, linguistic and age-sensitive programming and services.
MOL has fostered and nourished strong relationships with other health prevention and treatment facilities, such as: The Orange County Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Orange County Government, and the Florida Department of Health Bureau of HIV.
In honor of Mr. Stafford, MOL opened an LGBTQ+ drop-in space at 711 Seminole Ave in Orlando, and named it Stafford House. Mr. Stafford, and his works will live on through the work done at MOL and through services offered at the Stafford House.
