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$42,000 AWARDED TO DATE
We are incorporated as a 501-C-3 NOT FOR PROFIT CORPORATION and in less than four years
have awarded scholarships totaling $42,000.00.
How can I help?
Your financial support will be invaluable to this mission. If you have an area of
expertise that would help us, then you might want to consider participating on our
Advisory Board.
. . . MORE »
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Many families have been affected by the disease of alcoholism or chemical dependency. Often,
relationships with family and friends are damaged beyond repair, and individuals lose financial
as well as emotional support.
A 12 step program can help individuals with spiritual and emotional recovery while maintaining
sobriety. Those who have actively participated in a 12-step recovery program often get to a point
where they feel ready to take the next step: furthering their education. This might entail
completing a high school equivalency program, seeking a college degree or pursuing vocational
training. Further education has the potential to help individuals secure their own futures and
enable them to give back to their community.
One such individual, a young woman, was working and attending a local community college part time.
Scholarships and her earnings were not enough to meet her financial needs. Friends in recovery stepped
in to provide the extra financial support that she was unable to get elsewhere.
Later, a small group of friends enthusiastically joined in with additional donations.
With continuing help, the young woman was able to live independently and graduate from a local university where she maintained a 4.0 average.
This experience made it obvious that a very real need for similar financial
support exists in the recovery community. This realization led to the formation of the not-for-profit
organization "The Next Step".
The mission of The Next Step is to provide financial support to those individuals who are active in
recovery from alcohol and or chemical dependency and are pursuing academic and/or vocational
education. Funds will be used to help with tuition or living expenses and will be paid directly to
specified agencies.
PRESS RELEASE
The Next Step, a scholarship program for individuals in recovery, is currently accepting applications for the 2008-2009 school year. The application deadline is April 1. Candidates of all ages and educational interests are encouraged to apply.
In three and a half years, The Next Step has awarded over $40,000 in scholarships and has allotted $36,000 for the 2008-2009 school year.
The Next Step’s mission is to provide financial support to those individuals who are active in recovery from alcohol and/or chemical dependency and are pursuing academic or vocational education. Scholarship funds are awarded for tuition to high school equivalency programs, undergraduate studies or vocational programs, or for living expenses while study is ongoing.
Applicants are committed to a 12-step program, participate in service or volunteer work and are working part time. Financial need must be demonstrated as part of the confidential application process.
For more information, call 314-968-6588, email thenextstep1@sbcglobal.net, or look on the website, www.thenextstepstl.org. The application packet can be downloaded from the site.
Now entering its fourth year, The Next Step began as a grass-roots effort to assist a young woman in recovery, who was working and attending a local community college part time. Scholarships and her earnings were not enough to meet her financial needs. Friends in recovery stepped in to provide the extra financial support she was unable to get elsewhere.
This experience made it obvious that a very real need for similar support existed in the recovery community. The Next Step was founded to meet these needs. The young woman eventually graduated with a 4.0 grade point average from a local university, and The Next Step continues to provide financial support to deserving individuals who are improving their lives through education.
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