May 2019
Where is Summer?! Although the weather hasn’t changed in San Diego, a lot has been changing at Stepping Stone. With much to celebrate, here are some sunny updates.
A SLICE OF HISTORY
By – Cheryl Houk
Back in 1989, we operated out of a facility that had the worst conditions in the county. This was unacceptable for the LGTBQ population. It seemed to perpetuate the belief that this was all we deserved. In response, a dedicated team of people spent 11 years raising 2.6 million dollars to build a state of the art alcohol and drug treatment facility, one of the only AOD residential treatment centers in the nation that was built specifically for the need. This is the true meaning of pride: going from one of the worse places to one of the best!
This was created during a devastating time for our population — a time when the AIDS epidemic was taking countless lives. There was no HIV/AIDS funding for Stepping Stone residents. Again our community stepped up. Many volunteers advocated for these individuals to receive services. These clients were so sick they couldn’t advocate for themselves; they were busy fighting for their lives. Stepping Stone provided a place where they could be safe and die with dignity.
Thankfully, times have changed. We can now provide them with immediate linkage to every level of HIV services, giving them the opportunity to live healthy, productive and sober lives. With the advent of new medications, people are able to live full, healthy, long lives.
To find out more about our programs, visit our website. Hope to see you all at Stepping Under The Sea this Saturday.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
By – Chris Mueller
Due to the implementation of drug medical we have quite a few new staff members at our residential facility. We have grown from a small staff of about 7, we now have over 20 staff members in different capacities. Over the new few months I will introduce individual staff members to you.
Our newest Program Manager is Kevin Davis who is an alumnus of our program. Kevin pursued a career in Substance Use Disorder (SUD) from San Diego City College and started his career by interning with us. Kevin became a CADC II certified through CCAPP after he came to work for us as a SUD Counselor in 2013.
Over the years Kevin provided excellent services to many clients and rapidly became known as our chief group promoter. Many former clients can attest to the consequences of sleeping in your room during groups, not something you want to do while Kevin is on watch!
His ability to work well with others earned him the promotion to Program manager in July of this year. He does an excellent job of managing the SUD interns and all the various situations that arise daily. We are very happy to have Kevin on the Stepping Stone team!
STEPPING OUT
By – Pam Highfill
Fun was had by all at the Stepping Out Ice Cream Social event. Current participants, alumni, and friends of Stepping Stone came and participated in creating ice creams sundaes of their liking. We had standard flavor ice cream and just about every topping to be thought of.
Many people were quite impressed at the changes from last year’s open house and there were a few comments about how all our posters made it look much more like a treatment facility!
We would like to thank the Board Of Directors who have supported us in our efforts to provide this valuable service to our community!
Alumni News
Benefiting the resident fund, the alumni coordinate Stepping Under The Sea with live entertainment, dancing, cake, food, and a silent auction all for just a $20 donation to help current and future residents with essential items as they establish sobriety.
Event details:
- Saturday, June 1, 2019
- 6:00 – 10:00 pm
- 3900 Cleveland Ave. Hillcrest (Across from DMV)
- RSVP to our Facebook event
- The Alumni Association is an important part of Stepping Stone and is made up of alumni, allies and friends. This association is a sub-committee of the Stepping Stone board and works to support the residents of Stepping Stone through mentorship and activities.
If you’d like to get plugged into any upcoming activities, or if you would like to learn more about the Alumni Association, please view more details here.
Family Association
Are you a family member of a recovering alcoholic or addict associated with Stepping Stone? Join us for our monthly Family Association meeting!
The goal of the group is to help educate family and friends of people in recovery (or still in active addiction) on the psychology of addiction, plus give them a forum to process their own emotions about dealing with a loved one who is an addict. They can learn how the disease of addiction affects the entire family while getting support and hope from the other members of the group. The group leader explains concepts that might be unfamiliar to some – disabling, enabling, self-care and boundary setting – and can offer tips on how to use these in a healthy manner.
Our next group will meet:
- Date: Monday, June 24th
- Time: 6:00 pm
- Location: Stepping Out Outpatient Treatment Center, Great Room
- Address: 3928 Illinois Avenue, San Diego, CA 92104
If you’d like additional information about this upcoming meeting, or how you can connect with us, please contact us here.