Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristy Steele.
Hi Kristy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Save Our Families Non Profit organization was founded in honor of my mother, Nita S. Steele, who lost her life to a heroin/fentanyl overdose on October 28th, 2017. Save Our Families aims to remove the stigma around mental illness and substance use disorders while connecting those seeking help to the appropriate resources.
In April of 2020, we launched during the pandemic with a series of online mental health conversations called #livePTSD (Public Therapy Session Dialogos), which featured a licensed therapist. Our goal was to open up conversations around mental health and how we as a collective were being affected by the shutdown that was caused by the pandemic. We continued on to close out 2020 with an excellent Toy Drive, providing over 400 toys to the residents of Cleveland.
In early 2021, we launched the “Are You Okay?” campaign with recording artist Phaze Jackson to bring the mental health discussion to the forefront. As the movement evolved, we held two virtual panels around mental health and sexual assault. In August of 2021, we had a back-to-school supply giveaway, and currently, we are preparing to start our 2021 Toy Drive. In 2021, we’ve also expanded into harm reduction work as a third-party distributor of Narcan, fentanyl test strips, and condoms.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Right now, I’m operating out of my home, a studio apartment, sometimes there are more items for our events than there is space (laughing). I love it though! One of the main struggles with founding a non-profit is securing a steady flow of income. Our goal is to provide services to the community for free, so on the back end, we spend a lot of time developing plans to raise the funds for the resources that we provided to the community. It’s been a constant process of learning and evolving not only as a business but as a person.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Save Our Families Non Profit Organization?
Save Our Families NPO focuses on destigmatizing mental health and substance abuse disorder. I’ve taken this so seriously that in May of 2021, I took two teenagers off the streets into my own home for over a week. These teenagers were actively using at the time, and I asked them if they wanted help and wanted to get clean; both said yes. While one of the teenagers was a pregnant female adult, the other one was a minor. One of the most significant issues in the city of Cleveland was finding a detox/rehabilitation program for a child. The young man was taken to, two different facilities and returned due to him being 17. Unfortunately, his parents were both in substance abuse rehabilitation programs at the time, leaving them unable to get him help. After working with social services, we were finally able to get him placement and treatment, as we did for the young lady as well. After the young man got settled into treatment, he called me, and with joy in his voice he said “Mama Kris, you saved my family.” That’s one of my proudest moments. Save Our Families was able to help a baby come into this world detoxed, the mother and father are now nearing six months sober. We meet people where they are at, in recovery, active addiction, or in the middle of a mental health crisis, we’ll be there.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
First off, I want to acknowledge that without God, none of this would be possible. Secondly, this organization was born out of my love for my mom, Nita S. Steele. This was her dream, her goal, to change the lives of those who need help the most. It later became my dream and my passion as I saw the same pain she did. Only I saw her pain, which opened me up to see the pain within myself and others. I want to thank my board of directors, Tommy Sinito and Stephen Landers, for their continued support and belief in my vision. I also want to thank Orlando Santaella Jr. for all of his contributions to our organization while he was with us.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@saveour.family
- Website: www.saveour.family
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/saveourfamilies
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saveourfamiliescle/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/saveourfam
Image Credits
Kristy Steele
Orlando Santaella Jr.
