Virginia was born and raised in New York, but calls Houston home. Her love for this city is evident in her over 30 years of giving back to the community. She attended St. John’s University and received her Master’s in Education. After teaching school for a few years, she married the love of her life, Dan Steppe, and has two wonderful children and four grandchildren that she adores.
With a strong interest in fashion and design since childhood, she started an Interior Design firm, Papillon, Ltd., in the early 90’s. She enjoyed working with her individual clients and took on many pro bono projects for churches and businesses.
Her charity work began with Casa de Esperanza; she has chaired many of their fundraisers and has been on the Board and Advisory Board. When she began volunteering for the American Heart Association, she found a place to call home. Heart disease ran in her husband’s family, so when they asked her to chair the Heart Ball, she did it willingly. Serving on the Board as President was an honor and she continues to support AHA.
While involved in her charitable endeavors, in 1999, she decided to defend the underprivileged in another way: by attending South Texas College of Law and becoming a Lay Mediator. Her bi-weekly visits to the court system became a ritual as she came to see the merits of mediation.
Virginia has served on the Boards and chaired major fundraisers for CCFA, Juvenile Diabetes, March of Dimes, Mental Health, Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital, and, more recently, Dress for Success Houston and Methodist Hospital. Her passion has always been to serve children and women in need, and as a Board Member of Dress for Success, she advances its mission to empower women to secure employment and build lasting, productive careers.
Virginia is a CCFA Women of Distinction and has been honored by numerous charities for her time and donations. This quote has stayed with her over the years: “Service is joy.”
* Publisher’s Note: Sadly, Virginia Steppe passed away in May 2019. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends. She is greatly missed.