As the year comes to an end, I want to thank you for your support of Stepping Stone and your interest in our programs. We’re in our 43rd year of service to the LGBTQ community and it was one of our most successful so far. Here are just a few of the highlights of the year:
- We opened Alice’s Place, our new sober living home. With this addition, we are able to provide 16 more beds of safe, secure housing for those working on their sobriety. This has more than doubled our capacity to serve this important need.
- Stepping Out – our outpatient treatment program – celebrated its first anniversary and has grown: currently, we work with 50 people per day in their quest to stop drinking or using drugs.
- We celebrated the graduation of more than 60 individuals from our residential and outpatient programs.
- Our fourth annual Recovery Ride was an incredible success, raising funds and awareness for our HIV and alcohol and drug treatment services. We are already gearing up for our 2020 Ride – to be held on April 19.
- Living Out Loud – The Pink Gala – was a hit, with over 350 supporters, fantastic entertainment, and a true celebration of all we do at Stepping Stone.
We sincerely thank everyone who helped us this year, who joined the celebrations and who supported our fundraisers. Together we have expanded and grown our programs so that we are helping more people than ever in their battle to overcome addiction.
The need for our services continues.
We’ve been able to help thousands of people turn their lives around these past 43 years, but so many people are still suffering and in need of hope. They are desperate for the opportunity to experience the miracle of recovery. That miracle begins within our walls, when addicts and alcoholics, supported by our staff and our community, learn a new way of life.
Mollie is one of those people. She was lost in her addiction for several years. She says:
“I knew that things had spiraled out of control. It was then that I asked my mother for help.”
That help was the Stepping Stone residential treatment program. Our counselors, staff and her fellow residents showed her how to live life on life’s terms. With compassion and commitment, our staff and community are able to reach people who have all but given up on themselves, bringing them back from the brink of self-destruction.
“Everybody [at Stepping Stone] was really patient and caring. I learned a lot about family when I was there. I’m grateful to Stepping Stone for just giving me a safe space to work and feel comfortable. I can’t even think of another time in my entire life that I’ve felt the value of the work that I did there. I’m immensely proud of my journey there and immensely proud of my sobriety today because of them.”
There are so many others just like Mollie, with no idea what to do and nowhere to go. We see them when they are at their lowest point, but in that first encounter with them we can see the light inside them ignite.
Your donation allows this work to continue. Thanks to supporters like you, Stepping Stone was there for him. The need for life-saving services in the LGBTQ community is never-ending and we must continue to meet the growing need.
Your contribution, as we go into a new year and a new decade, will make a significant and measurable impact on our ability to meet that need. Any contribution, no matter how small, can make a difference.
Stepping Stone also has a monthly donation option. You can start with a monthly donation as little as $10, to make a difference all year long with a recurring monthly gift.
Please consider the largest contribution you can make. Your tax-deductible gift will directly impact our residents and those people in our outpatient program. Return your donation in the enclosed envelope or give online at steppingstonesd.org/donate.
In gratitude,
Michael Moore
Board Chairman
P.S. Has Stepping Stone helped someone you care about? Make a donation in their name and we’ll send them a note letting them know.