$114,000 AWARDED TO DATE
We are incorporated as a 501-C-3 NOT FOR PROFIT CORPORATION and in less than five years have awarded scholarships totaling $114,000.

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.

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.

The application deadline is April 1 of each year for the succeeding academic year beginning in August or September. Candidates of all ages, educational interests, and education level from GED through Bachelor’s degrees are encouraged to appy.

In four years, The Next Step has awarded over $114,000 in scholarships and has allotted $36,000 for the 2009-2010 school year.

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 314-719-2880 , email thenextstep1@sbcglobal.net, or look on the website, www.thenextstepstl.org. The application packet can be downloaded from the site.