STEPS Ministries Overview, Approach, Strategy, and Plans for 2025

Half of families struggle with substance abuse or mental health issues, and 90% of them do not receive help. We focus on awareness, education, and prevention and provide practical life skills education for emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and personal aspects of wellness to help people improve their lives and prevent these behavioral health issues.

In 2024, STEPS executed against our strategy

“Family Wellness and Personal Life Skills” – All of the plans shown below were aligned to this integrated effort.
Escalate impact on parents of teenagers – Education for parents of teens, Biblical parenting, and parenting in a crisis. Taught seminars, started a new parenting blog, engaged in social media, and were at events and other activities.
Reaching and equipping teens directly – Teen article series, focus groups with teens, and youth-oriented videos.
Parents of kids in elementary school – New online education for these parents built off our prior successful seminars.
Parents of young adults – Held seminars for conversations and mentoring of young adults to put in online education.
Wellness life skills family training – New education for mental health, anxiety, recovery, relationships, and intentionality.
Caregivers in the parenting role – Education for grandparents and foster parents and training for mentoring of teens.
Disadvantaged groups and families –Built new life skills education for at-risk, underserved youth to deliver in early 2025.
Multiplication via collaboration – Helped partners like Liberty Church and others with online education Content Portal.
Segmented campaigns – Selected key segments and hired marketing agency to build campaigns, e.g. “Parents of Teens.”

We Have Had very significant accomplishments

Below is a summary of some of the things STEPS has accomplished over the last two years:

Digital Outreach – 650,000+ social media and digital impressions; 900+ social posts; and 130+ blogs (new parenting blog).
Collaboration – New partners; at-risk youth partnership; outreach to 75 groups; radio PSAs/podcasts to tens of thousands.
Content – 130+ articles; 220 videos; 25 products and presentations with content that is researched, practical, and reusable.
Education – 20+ well-rated seminars; 13 Online Toolkits (each has 5-7 chapters and 10-12 videos); and 6 Content Portals.

We have “2025 Growth Goals” to serve more people

“Family Wellness and Personal Life Skills” – STEPS will continue to focus on parents of teenagers as well as parents of children and young adults, caregivers in the parenting role, and all family members with wellness-based life skills.
Increase the number of people we serve – We will scale and multiply our proven family and parenting education, offer wellness and prevention resources more widely, and build digital campaigns to touch tens of thousands of individuals.
Expand outreach to more organizations – STEPS will contact more organizations to offer speaking engagements and useful resources. We will build business-to-business digital campaigns and expand outreach to groups across Alabama.
Focus where the needs are most extreme – We integrate prevention of substance abuse into what we do, and we will expand our focus on mental health and execute campaigns on behavioral health. We will continue our life-changing program to address the at-risk segments of underserved youth in lower-income areas and teenagers in general.
Expand awareness for tens of thousands – STEPS will build awareness of issues, prevention, and helpful resources through outreach to traditional media, podcast guest appearances, and weekly blogs, social media, and YouTube.
Package online education for easy use – We will expand the number of custom, easy-to-access Content Portals for organizations and segment-specific Online Toolkits for individuals with awareness, education, and prevention resources.
Deliver high-quality, engaging education – STEPS will make our education more engaging with videos, workbooks and tools, webinars and podcasts, possibly partnering with a world-class education provider, and artificial intelligence.
Raise the funding necessary to fuel growth – We will increase the number of foundations we apply to and enhance relationships with those that support our ministry. We will keep donors informed of what we are doing as that income is critical and seek Growth Partners for significant gifts. STEPS will also begin earning revenue for products and education.

additional information below for your use as helpful

Background: History and Mission
Strategy & Plans: Approach, Accomplishments, Programs, Populations, and Plans for 2025
Organization Information: Collaboration, Outcomes, Finances, Boards, and Grace and Equity

Message from Our Founder and Executive Director

The STEPS mission was born in 2009 when I experienced three epiphanies:

Many of life’s most harmful issues, including behavioral health problems such as substance abuse and mental health disorders, are very treatable. Tens of millions of people have successfully recovered from them and gone on to happier lives.
Many of those problems are also preventable! Behavioral health problems can often be improved—or prevented—before lives are dangerously impacted by addressing root causes and working on the behaviors associated with the issue.
A great way to prevent behavioral health issues is to improve our personal skills for how we deal with life. Some issues have medical and psychological aspects for which treatment can be helpful, but virtually all of them can be positively impacted by taking informed, intentional, and healthy steps toward wellness.

The Origin of Our Journey Demonstrates Our Purpose

These epiphanies led me to embark on a journey of research and learning that evolved into writing my first book titled “STEPS: A Daily Journey to a Better Life” that was published in 2014. That process was so fruitful and rewarding that I began a blog which continues today. We have published hundreds of well-researched articles on the topics STEPS deals with now. Along the way, I came to be led to leave the business world (I was with IBM for 38 years) to found STEPS Ministries in 2014.

Before those epiphanies came about, there was a time when my life felt like it was unraveling in ways I could never have imagined. My family and I struggled with substance abuse, depression, and other issues. My wife and I wrestled with feelings of worry and helplessness as we watched our older son being drawn toward risky behaviors and addiction. Many nights I would lie awake searching for answers. Those were the “dark ages” for us when hope seemed distant and peace elusive.

Yet, it was in that darkness that a new purpose began to take shape. Slowly, one step at a time, my family and I found our way back to the light. And with every step, the desire to help others facing similar battles grew stronger. STEPS Ministries was born out of those experiences, out of the belief that no family should have to face those struggles alone and that there are steps they can take that will help.

Our Mission is to Continue and Escalate That Journey

Our mission now is a powerful one to provide families and individuals with the support, guidance, and tools they need to thrive and prevent life-altering behavioral health issues. From helping parents navigate the complexities of raising children in a digital age with dangerous substances readily available to equipping youth with life skills for a brighter future to helping adults deal with their own issues or support someone close to them, STEPS is here to make a difference in their lives.

The statistics these days are mind-numbing with 40% of people suffering from substance use or mental health disorders at some point. More people deal with these afflictions than heart disease, diabetes, or cancer, and more people die from substance abuse than from vehicle accidents, murder, or suicide. One half of families struggle with substance abuse or mental health issues. With young people, the numbers are even more dramatic. Sadly, 75% of teenagers will try addictive substances, and the leading cause of death starting at age 18 is fentanyl. Anxiety is 70% more pronounced than with adults, and 19% of young people consider suicide.

STEPS cannot do this work alone. Our nonprofit ministry relies on the support of compassionate foundations and individuals to serve others. With this help, we can reach even more families across Alabama and beyond. Together, we can give them a chance for a life that is an intentional journey toward well-being. Thank you for walking with us on this journey, enabling us to help people transform their lives, and equipping us to share help, healing, and hope with others one step at a time.

Our Mission is to Offer Help, Healing, and Hope

The STEPS mission is to provide practical resources for hurting individuals and families to find help, healing, and hope. We are dedicated to improving wellness through early awareness, education, and prevention and to focusing on the root causes of health and behavioral issues that impact so many lives. Evidence shows that by empowering people to live healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives, we can help prevent and lessen substance abuse, mental health disorders, and other life-altering wellness challenges.

We Are Addressing the Wellness Crisis in Alabama

In Alabama, we are witnessing a wellness crisis that affects individuals across all demographics. Two of the most pressing public health issues are substance abuse and mental health disorders. Nearly half of all families will face one or both of these life-altering challenges. Alarmingly, 90% of those struggling do not receive the help they need. This gap in care has devastating consequences for individuals, families, and entire communities.

Evidence Shows That Wellness is Broad and Holistic

While treating and providing recovery services for clinical disorders are crucial, STEPS Ministries addresses a broader spectrum of wellness. Every family and individual faces wellness challenges that go beyond medical conditions. We categorize these issues under our “C-H-A-I-N-S” framework which includes:

Compulsive Habits: Harmful behavior we keep repeating such as overeating, procrastination, people-pleasing, anger, or control issues.
Addictions and Idols: Bad habits we cannot control like alcohol and drug use, workaholism, gambling, pornography, or digital addiction.
Negative Self-Talk: Destructive thought patterns and feelings with examples such as insecurity, hopelessness, shame, or chronic worry.

At STEPS, we focus on helping people break free from these chains by addressing root behavioral causes and empowering individuals to make positive changes in their lives. Our approach to wellness takes into account its holistic nature which includes issues which are emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and personal in nature. We uniquely address these issues using proven, integrated methodologies.

Our Mission is to Impact People’s Lives

Our mission is to help people live better, healthier lives by offering practical, easy-to-implement solutions that address their specific needs. We understand that people are hurting and many battle addiction, depression, anxiety, or other challenges. We help them utilize the power of small, consistent steps toward wellness. We offer healing so people understand it’s okay not to be okay, but they don’t have to stay that way. We bring them hope with life-changing education and support.

STEPS Ministries serves a broad range of individuals and families with a particular focus on underserved and at-risk groups. We are committed to making our resources available to as many people as possible through digital and in-person channels and by collaborating with other groups. As we continue to grow, our vision is to expand our reach even further, offering support to those who need it most and creating healthier, more resilient communities across Alabama and beyond.

Awareness and Prevention in Our Content and Education

STEPS is uniquely focused on preventing substance abuse and mental health disorders as well as broader wellness issues through a combination of awareness and education with a proactive approach to prevention. We believe that by reaching people early and equipping them with practical tools and actionable life skills, we can help prevent serious issues from becoming life-damaging problems. We reach people who are often overlooked or underserved, including those held back from getting help by unawareness, stigma, or lack of access to resources. We provide them with simple, effective steps they can take to improve their well-being.

Our primary focus is on education that promotes awareness and prevention. We teach individuals, families, and organizations how to recognize the early signs of substance abuse, mental health struggles, and other wellness issues. We provide practical life skills that help them take control of their well-being before problems escalate. Our resources include:

Content:

Short-form content: Life-improving articles, videos, and social posts that are integrated, proven, and easy-to-consume.
Digital resources: Packaged products online or delivered to people which also link to deeper resources they can utilize.

Education:

In-person seminars: Topics such as addiction prevention, emotional health, parenting skills, and life improvement.
Online education: Accessible portals, toolkits, and videos so people find information they need when they need it.

STEPS Focuses on Reaching At-Risk Groups

STEPS Ministries places a strong emphasis on reaching at-risk populations who are particularly vulnerable to wellness issues:

Those with Behavioral Health Issues: Substance abuse and mental health problems are two of the largest and most dangerous healthcare problems in the country, and the risk is increasing. Unfortunately, 90% of those struggling do not get the assistance they need dues to issues including lack of access to resources, unawareness or denial, and the shame and stigma often associated with these issues. This makes them one of our most underserved and marginalized groups, and that is why STEPS focuses on providing awareness, education, and connection to resources that can help.
Parents and Families: Parents play a crucial role in influencing their children’s behavior. Our parenting seminars, which have received exceptional feedback (9.7 out of 10 in attendee ratings), equip parents with tools to address substance use and mental health issues in their children. We work with families at all socioeconomic levels including middle-income families who believe “it won’t happen to us” and higher-income families who face social pressures and easy access to substances to our strategic new focus on lower-income, underserved families with external and internal challenges.
Teenagers and Young Adults: 90% of substance use disorders begin before the age of 18, making adolescence a critical intervention point. Sadly, 75% of high schoolers try or use addictive substances, and 40% abuse them. Mental health issues like depression and suicide are rising, with 19% of teens considering suicide and 1 in 11 attempting it. College-aged adults face intense pressures, leading to alarming levels of anxiety, substance use, and mental health struggles. Two-thirds of college students experience overwhelming anxiety, and fentanyl is now the leading cause of death starting as age 18.
Underserved Youth and Families: STEPS has a strategic focus on reaching at-risk and financially-disadvantaged populations who often feel hopeless. We developed methods to serve more rural areas through our experience in Walker County. We spent much of 2024 researching, developing, and piloting education for underserved youth in lower-income, diverse communities. We have strong experience reaching those who are disenfranchised and marginalized due to the shame and stigma of behavioral health issues who often do not have access to help.

Evidence-Based Approach to Root Cause Issues

Our work goes beyond surface-level solutions. We believe many wellness issues, including substance use and mental health disorders, stem from behavioral root causes. By addressing these core issues, we help individuals prevent problems before they spiral out of control. Our resources are designed for lasting impact by equipping people with the knowledge and tools they need to improve their lives.

We integrated many of the leading evidence-based methods and principles into our PACES methodology which helps individuals take control of their wellness by following a structured path:

Preparation: We help individuals proactively understand the challenges they face and prepare for future obstacles.
Awareness: We teach self-awareness and situational awareness so people identify where they can improve wellness.
Connection: We encourage and train people to connect, utilize mentors and resources, and seek help when needed.
Education: We offer skills training to help people learn about wellness and apply proven techniques in their daily lives.
Steps: We help individuals create a personal plan with practical steps to take to move forward in their wellness journey

Accessible, Scalable Resources for Long Term Impact

Our content is designed to be accessible, scalable, and easy to use. STEPS provides:

Universal content: Our resources are relevant to individuals in all demographics and communities, ensuring that as many people as possible can benefit from our approach.
Timeless solutions: Our material is based on proven principles that will remain applicable and effective for years to come.
Convenience and simplicity: With easy access to our online portals and toolkits, people can find what they need without sifting through misinformation or clutter. Our simple, practical steps help people make progress quickly and effectively.

Digital Outreach and Collaboration Reach More People

We maximize our reach by using digital platforms to connect with individuals and families across Alabama and beyond. Through social media, digital marketing, video content, and online courses we extend our resources to those who may not have access to in-person support. We collaborate with other organizations to multiply our impact by using our content to serve their own audiences efficiently.

Our long-term strategy is to reach and serve the most people possible. We extend our reach through wide use of social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and LinkedIn. We share content through digital influencers in traditional media and with podcasters and others. We implement targeted digital marketing campaigns to reach selected segments of the population and provide them with resources tailored to meet their specific needs.

For detail of our accomplishments, see our quarterly newsletters: LifeImprovementSteps.com/Steps-Ministries-Newsletter

In the last 2 years, STEPS Ministries has continued to expand on and execute our strategy, and this hard work has led to many accomplishments. Highlights include:

Content:

Published over 130 articles with practical and proven content for users.
Created over 220 videos including short reels and longer training videos.
Built over 25 products and presentations we can reuse over and over.
Conducted ongoing research and surveys and focus groups on content.
Executed an organizational strategy to leverage artificial intelligence.

Education:

Over 20 in-person seminars receiving high ratings of over 9.7 out of 10.
Built 13 Online Toolkits (each has many content features and 5-10 videos).
Delivered 6 Content Portals to support different types of organizations.
Enhanced our education delivery with interactive, engaging techniques.
Established a new partnership with a world-class education organization.

Digital Outreach:

Delivered over 650,000 digital impressions using social media and ads.
Published over 900 social media posts on four different social media channels.
Published over 130 high-value blogs and started a new parenting-specific blog.
Developed new video techniques and grew reach and engagement on YouTube.
Hired a digital marketing agency as our partner to maximize digital outreach.

Collaboration:

Developed new processes and content to maximize our ability to partner.
Participated in over 25 seminars, speaking engagements, and other events.
Radio PSAs with links to useful content reached tens of thousands of people.
New podcast initiative and scheduled appearances to reach tens of thousands.
Formed strategic partnership for life skills education to underserved youth.

Below are the ten areas called out in the 2024 STEPS Ministries strategy that were highlighted in our last Annual Report and that have guided our current programs:

“Family Wellness and Personal Life Skills” – New initiative to offer resources to the whole family.
Escalate impact on parents of teenagers – Scale the growth of proven parenting of teens education.
Reaching and equipping teens directly – Help youth live on purpose and fulfill their potential.
Parents of kids in elementary school – How to use proactive parenting to raise great children.
Parents of young people in college – Mentoring older youth to equip them to handle real life.
Wellness life skills family training – Help parents themselves and other members of the family.
Caregivers in the parenting role – Grandparents, other family members, and adopting parents.
Disadvantaged groups and families – Pilot a new program to help diverse, under-served areas.
Multiplication via collaboration – Partner with groups with Content Portals and Online Toolkits.
Segmented ministry campaigns – Build targeted education and outreach for selected segments.

Our “Family Wellness and Personal Life Skills” initiative focused on a broader set of needs across the family but retained an emphasis on parents of teenagers and pre-teens. The needs of those families include:

Teenagers and pre-teens – High rates of substance use and mental health issues; increased danger from substances like fentanyl; personal issues such as insecurity, isolation, and impulsiveness; temptations from peers; influence of social media; and lack of education on practical life skills.
Parents of those kids – Busyness and distraction; naiveté of the issues teens face; denial of family problems; embarrassment or shame; lack of awareness; inability to connect to their teenagers; lack of knowledge to handle their kids’ issues; and little intentionality in developing parenting skills.

Our content and education utilize our PACES for Parents methodology of proven and practical steps so parents can help their kids remain safe, healthy, and happy. “P-A-C-E-S” is an acronym which is used below to summarize the outcomes:

Preparation – Parents become prepared to equip their kids for the challenges they face as teenagers. Kids prepare to resist temptations since 90% of those with addiction start before age 18.
Awareness – Parents assess the direction of their kids, spot risky situations earlier, and take action. Kids develop awareness to handle issues, e.g. teen anxiety is 70% higher than adults.
Connection – Parents have effective conversations and remain connected to their teenagers. Kids feel more secure and supported; otherwise only 1 in 10 of those struggling get help.
Education – Parents get educated to equip their kids to deal with problems and issues they face. Kids learn to deal with risky situations because 40% of teenagers abuse substances.
Steps – Parents become proactive and prepare a plan with practical steps to keep their kids safe. Kids thrive as teens and avoid risks like fentanyl, the top cause of death for ages 18-45.

In 2024, we also engaged in an exciting new project to provide resources and education directly to teenagers in addition to reaching them by working through their parents. The theme is “Helping Teenagers Live on Purpose to Fulfill Their Potential” to help them expand their life skills, enhance their well-being, prevent problems, and achieve their fullest potential.

We also added a strategic focus on helping underserved, at-risk youth in lower-income areas in Birmingham. This project will provide life skills education that focuses on emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and personal wellness. By helping these youth develop practical skills early on, STEPS aims to prevent the escalation of mental health issues and substance use, ultimately creating a pathway for these young people to thrive in their communities.

We serve diverse female and male populations. One half of families struggle with substance abuse or mental health issues, and 90% of those people do not get help. Research shows that 90% of substance use disorders begin before the age of 18, and 75% of high school students have used addictive substances. Almost half face a mental health issue and 19% contemplate suicide. In Birmingham, there are an estimated 127,000 kids ages 10-19 who have used substances. In Alabama inner-city and rural communities, there is a crisis with at-risk, disadvantaged youth. These young people face immense challenges, including substance abuse, mental health disorders, academic struggles, and a lack of positive role models.

Our prior focus on parents of teenagers is expanding to other populations:

Types of parents – Parents in traditional families, single parents, and caregivers such as foster parents and organizations who serve families, parents, and kids.
Geography – Recently, our focus has been on the Birmingham area, but in 2025 we will launch a new effort to reach and serve organizations across Alabama.
At-risk segments – Anyone who struggles with substance abuse or mental health problems is at risk, and the danger is compounded because most of them do not get help. We also focus on underserved youth across ethnicities in lower-income areas. Our pilot project will be in Ensley which is 92% African-American/Black. We will expand that project to other inner-city communities and rural areas across Alabama.
Behavioral health – We will serve individuals struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues and those people who are seeking to support and help them.
Organizations – We will expand our reach to many more organizations to partner with them to serve their audiences. This could be people served by another nonprofit, members of a church congregation, employees or clients of a company, or the audience of a media or influencer. We will build business-to-business campaigns and processes for effective outreach.

STEPS will leverage the progress made in 2024 to continue our momentum. We made great strides with the “Family Wellness and Personal Life Skills” initiative by serving families with a focus on parents, creating new life skills education courses, and improving our content and processes to reach organizations and individuals effectively. Those actions positioned us for rapid progress in 2025.

STEPS will serve people and organizations in Birmingham and reach out across other parts of Alabama with prevention and wellness life skills resources and education. We will utilize a unique, powerful approach to integrate recognized, evidence-based techniques into education that is easily-available and simple to use with a focus on reaching people who do not have access to or do not utilize life skills resources now. These evidence-based techniques include:

Focus on awareness and education – We enhance risk awareness, provide training for positive steps, and promote screening, intervention, and treatment.
Holistic wellness-based approach – STEPS integrates proven principles in life skills training that address evidence-based areas of mental health, wellness, social and emotional learning, prevention, and 12 Steps-informed guidance.
Parent and family-based education – We provide education to strengthen families with a focus on parents, caregivers, adolescents, and disadvantaged youth.
Community-impacting programs – We promote education in communities via outreach to organizations, digital outreach, and social media and traditional media.

We Will Focus on Strategic Areas in 2025

Areas of operational focus for the next year include:

“Family Wellness and Personal Life Skills” – STEPS will continue to focus on parents of teenagers as well as parents of children and young adults, caregivers in the parenting role, and all family members with wellness-based life skills.
Increase the number of people we serve – We will scale and multiply our proven family and parenting education, offer wellness and prevention resources more widely, and build digital campaigns to touch tens of thousands of individuals.
Expand outreach to more organizations – STEPS will contact more organizations to offer speaking engagements and useful resources. We will build business-to-business digital campaigns and expand outreach to groups across Alabama.
Focus where the needs are most extreme – We integrate prevention of substance abuse into what we do, and we will expand our focus on mental health and execute campaigns on behavioral health. We will continue our life-changing program to address the at-risk segments of underserved youth in lower-income areas and teenagers in general.
Expand awareness for tens of thousands – STEPS will build awareness of issues, prevention, and helpful resources through outreach to traditional media, podcast guest appearances, and weekly blogs, social media, and YouTube.
Package online education for easy use – We will expand the number of custom, easy-to-access Content Portals for organizations and segment-specific Online Toolkits for individuals with awareness, education, and prevention resources.
Deliver high-quality, engaging education – STEPS will make our education more engaging with videos, workbooks and tools, webinars and podcasts, possibly partnering with a world-class education provider, and artificial intelligence.
Raise the funding necessary to fuel growth – We will increase the number of foundations we apply to and enhance relationships with those that support our ministry. We will keep donors informed of what we are doing as that income is critical and seek Growth Partners for significant gifts. STEPS will also begin earning revenue for products and education.

We Will Reach Teenagers Directly with Life Skills Education

We are also engaged in exciting work to provide resources and education directly to teenagers in addition to reaching them by working through their parents. The theme is “Helping Teenagers Live on Purpose to Fulfill Their Potential” with the goals to expand their life skills, enhance their well-being, prevent problems, and achieve their fullest potential in these areas:

Preparation – Living on purpose, values, spiritual growth, and self-affirmations.
Awareness – Self-awareness, personal identity, strengths, and self-improvement.
Connection – Communication, positive relationships, and emotional intelligence.
Education – Decision-making, learning, managing your mind, and productivity.
Steps – Creating goals and plans and taking small steps toward a good future.

The anticipated outcomes for teenagers who embrace the material are:

Become happier and healthier and prepared for the future.
Increase self-confidence and contentment with less anxiety.
Develop more friends, positive relationships, and connection.
Manage situations better and be more effective and successful.
Create a positive future and make progress by taking small steps.

We Will Deliver Life-Changing Education for Underserved Youth

We have also added a strategic focus on helping underserved, at-risk youth in lower-income and rural areas. In many communities, the situation is dire as youth not only contend with personal struggles but also the harsh realities of socioeconomic disadvantage, peer pressure, and limited access to supportive services. Our program is designed to help address harmful issues by providing life skills education that focuses on emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and personal wellness. By helping youth develop practical skills early on, STEPS aims to prevent the escalation of mental health issues and substance use, ultimately creating a pathway for these young people to thrive in their communities.

STEPS Ministries is well-positioned to make a lasting impact on disadvantaged youth and their communities. Through its holistic approach to wellness-based life skills education, STEPS offers more than just a temporary intervention—it provides the tools and resources young people need to succeed long-term. The program’s scalability and adaptability make it a sustainable solution for communities across Alabama. By leveraging collaboration with other organizations and digital platforms, STEPS plans to expand its reach, providing life-changing education to at-risk youth who might not otherwise have access to such resources. The modular design of the curriculum allows it to be easily adapted for use in different settings, whether in urban schools, rural community centers, or through personal online learning.

The Needs We Will Address Are Wide and Deep

Statistics amplify the needs we will address. Substance abuse and mental health are two of the biggest healthcare problems in Alabama. Half of families face these issues, and 90% of those struggling do not get help. One drug—fentanyl—is the leading cause of death ages 18 to 45. This situation is worse in rural and urban areas with limited access to behavioral health education or life skills training addressing emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and personal needs. Teenagers face risks with 75% of high school students using substances, and 9 of 10 issues start before age 18. One half of adolescents face a mental health condition and 19% contemplate suicide.

Our education has been rated 9.7 out of 10 by users with very positive feedback and it is practical and easy-to-use. STEPS has delivered hundreds of thousands of digital impressions with social media and digital ads and had tens of thousands of views of articles, social posts, videos, and web pages. We have delivered hundreds of articles, videos, products, and courses and reached tens of thousands of people through the media, radio, podcasts, and other forms of outreach.

These Efforts Will Create Very Positive Outcomes

STEPS will build off progress in the last year to achieve these desired outcomes:

Access to wellness-related education – Reach people in Birmingham and other parts of Alabama to equip them to make positive lifestyle choices.
Prevent problems that destroy lives – Help close the existing gaps in prevention by addressing root causes before lives and families are impacted.
Healthier and happier families – Families experience improved health and well-being with easier and ongoing access to life-changing education.
Empowered and safe youth – Teenagers, particularly the underserved and at risk, develop essential life skills and thrive.
Informed, proactive parents – Parents learn how to protect kids from issues and help them develop emotionally, mentally, socially, spiritually, and personally.
Maximize community impact – Our services can be multiplied via collaboration and extended with digital outreach and online resources for greater impact.

The support from foundations and donors will equip STEPS to increase the people we serve in Alabama including urban and rural areas and underserved communities. It will enable us to share resources more broadly and partner with organizations to provide life-changing prevention and wellness life skills education.

We Will Focus Execution in Key Operational Areas

STEPS will continue to focus plans and operations on offering practical content and easy-to-use education through scalable, efficient digital outreach and collaboration with other organizations to multiply our impact.

Content – Offer simple, useful steps to acquire helpful life skills that improve one’s well-being and prevent serious issues. Research proven best practices across disciplines to holistically address root cause issues of harmful problems and build those concepts into easy-to-use content and products.
Education – Build flexible and modular training to encourage positive life change. Deliver it in easy-to-use Online Toolkits and easy-to-access Content Portals for convenient and effective long-term education.
Digital Outreach – Reach people where they are in efficient, scalable ways to create awareness of issues, offer healing and hope with helpful steps to make progress, and provide links to access more resources.
Collaboration – Multiply our impact by partnering with organizations. Expand the number of people we serve by reaching the audiences of organizations with flexible and modular programs that fit their needs.

Collaboration is a critical part of the STEPS strategy, and we work regularly with existing partners with plans to expand that collaboration significantly in the future. We have specifically designed Content Portals and Online Toolkits so we can share education easily and flexibly with other organizations and will be looking for many additional partnerships in the coming year. In addition to sharing education, we will provide implementation guidance, classroom facilitator guidebooks, communication materials, and train-the-trainer guidance with partners including other nonprofits, schools, churches, companies, and other organizations.

STEPS has a proven history of collaboration, and here are representative examples:

Underserved youth project – We are collaborating with Renew Birmingham and The Center to offer life skills education to kids at schools in Ensley such as Jackson-Olin High School and then to others in similar communities. We ran youth focus group feedback sessions with Banks Academy and several churches. We will approach other partners such as Urban Hope and Restoration Academy in Fairfield.

Nonprofits – STEPS works with nonprofits in many ways. We are a member of the Alabama Association of Nonprofits, the Association of Christian Recovery Ministries, The Healing Network, and Walker Area Nonprofit Council. STEPS delivered training in partnership with First Priority, Step by Step Ministries, and the Safe and Healthy Homewood Coalition. STEPS was an event sponsor with the Addiction Prevention Coalition. We work with Mission Increase, and we have been an ongoing sponsor and participant for multiple years at the Celebrate the Family EXPO.

Organizations – STEPS collaborated to offer training with Cornerstone Coaching, Kiwanis Clubs of Birmingham and Jasper, Rotary Club, ULECx Marketplace, and Young Business Leaders, and we led seminars on several topics. We have an ongoing partnership with Cornerstone Coaching and ran many in-person training events, led a webinar, participated on their national podcast, coached members, and were a keynote speaker at events. We regularly reach out to dozens of organizations to collaborate on social media activities.

Churches – We work with churches to deliver seminars and programs. Examples include Oak Mountain Presbyterian, Liberty, Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran, First Presbyterian of Jasper, Desperation, St. Luke’s Episcopal, St. Mary’s Episcopal, Long Memorial, and Riverchase United Methodist. We have ongoing partnerships with Oak Mountain Presbyterian and Liberty Church and led many seminars and programs there. We reached out to over 80 churches via email, ran lunch-and-learn education sessions, and delivered flyers to them.

Companies – We work with companies to deliver programs to reach their employees or audiences. Examples include the Onin Group, DDS Solutions, the Valent Group, Walker County Sheriff’s Office, One Ascent, and Centurion Labs. We delivered parenting training in conjunction with Caron Recovery Centers.

Content – We research and utilize principles proven through the experience and knowledge of others. Examples of sources we have worked with include: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. We meet with subject matter experts in many areas.

Media – We work with the media to reach people such as with WXJC, WZRR, WAPI, WJLX, Birmingham Christian Family magazine, Vestavia Voice magazine, 280 Living magazine, Daily Mountain Eagle, and the Truth at Work national podcast. We are expanding our strategy to work with online communities and influencers so we can help serve their audiences including podcasts, bloggers, and Facebook groups. We recently launched a podcast outreach initiative and have scheduled appearances on 6 podcasts with that becoming a regular component of our strategy.

Here are some of our measurable results during 2023 and 2024:

Content – Over 130 articles; 220 videos; and 25 products and presentations with content that is well-researched, practical, and reusable over the long term.
Education – 20+ well-rated in-person seminars; 13 Online Toolkits (each has 5-7 chapters, 10-12 videos, and other content); and 6 Content Portals.
Digital Outreach – 650,000+ touches with social media and digital advertising impressions; 900+ social posts; and 130+ blogs (including new parenting blog).
Collaboration – New partners (churches, companies, nonprofits); at-risk youth partnership; outreach to 75 organizations; joint event participation; radio PSAs reaching tens of thousands; and podcast interviews reaching tens of thousands.

Below are the ten areas called out in the 2024 STEPS Ministries strategy that were highlighted in our last Annual Report. These were selected as long-term objectives as well as current-year priorities and all will play a role as we move into 2025.

“Family Wellness and Personal Life Skills” – This was a new initiative to offer resources to the whole family, and all our plans were aligned to this effort.
Escalate impact on parents of teenagers – We built education for parents of teens, Biblical parenting, and parenting in a crisis. We taught seminars, started a parenting blog, engaged in social media, and were at events and other activities.
Reaching and equipping teens directly – STEPS published an article series for teens on how to develop their life skills, ran focus groups with teenagers with excellent results, and captured youth-oriented videos to aid our education.
Parents of kids in elementary school – We published new online education for these parents that built off successful seminars we had taught in the past.
Parents of young people in college – STEPS taught seminars for having good conversations and mentoring young adults we will build into online education.
Wellness life skills family training – We built online education for: “Enhancing Our Mental Health,” “Dealing with Anxiety,” “Learning More About Recovery,” “Improving Relationships,” and “Living Intentionally to Change Your Life.”
Caregivers in the parenting role – STEPS built education for grandparents, has an agreement to provide education to a foster parenting organization, and provided training for people serving in a mentoring role with teenagers.
Disadvantaged groups and families – We invested heavily in 2024 in this new area of focus beginning with education we will deliver to underserved youth in Ensley in early 2025 in partnership with Renew Birmingham and the Center.
Multiplication via collaboration – STEPS seeks organizations with people we can serve, and we build partnerships with them. In 2024 we helped partners such as Liberty Church where we provided an online education Content Portal.
Segmented ministry campaigns – We identified segments of people we have the content to serve. We hired a digital marketing agency to help us build campaigns like “Parents of Teens” and “Preventing Behavioral Health Issues.”

STEPS uses many methods to measure results:

As content is developed, we use focus groups and interviews for feedback. For example, teenager focus groups rated our youth program 9.5 out of 10 overall.
Written surveys at in-person events had great feedback comments, and ratings continued to get excellent results that consistently averaged above 9 out of 10.
Our automated surveys are offered as people utilize our Online Toolkits.
Social media metrics: reach, impressions, engagement; video metrics: views, video watch time, engagement; and digital ad metrics: impressions, clicks, conversions.
Our Executive Director gets feedback from our two Boards and other stakeholders.

STEPS finances have been in very good shape in 2024. We opened the year with cash reserves to cover 5 months of operating expenses. To serve more people, we planned a 2025 budget that is 20% higher than the previous year. We identified revenue sources to cover a significant portion of the 2025 operating budget. We have diversified income, efficient and scalable operations, and a sustainable operating model. In 2025, major sources of income are expected to grow.

We have both a Finance Manager and a bookkeeper on staff for more accountability. We continue using the certified CPA firm that has managed our finances, taxes, and accounting since we were founded in 2018. We have two boards that provide an added level of planning and oversight on our strategy and operations. Our Executive Director was in business for 38 years prior to founding STEPS and has experience in financial planning and management as well as running our organization.

We staffed our organization to provide flexibility for the expenses in our budget. Other than the Executive Director, all of the team members are independent contractors or hired agencies, and those expenses are variable versus fixed. On the revenue side, we are planning products, education, books, services, and marketing in order to bring in earned revenue during 2025. We expect that earned revenue to continue to grow in later years and augment grants and donations to the ministry.

STEPS has a large amount of proven methodologies, intellectual property, content, and education we can use over and over for years to come. We leverage content efficiently with scalable digital outreach to reach more people and by multiplying our impact through strategic collaboration with other organizations. This gives us great upside potential for our operations.

Board of Advisors

The Board of Advisors meets periodically with the Executive Director to provide strategic direction and oversight, and they represent the ministry in the community.

Richard E. Simmons III– Executive Director at The Center
Jenny Waltman– CEO & Chairman at Grace Klein Community
Tom Mayfield– President at M3 Resources USA LLC
Tommy Brigham– Chairman of the Board at ARC Realty Co.
Harry Pearson – CEO at OneAscent Financial
Libby Lassiter– Principle at Tessa CRE
John Lovoy – CEO at Infomedia and Uptick Marketing
John Thomas– Senior Vice President at Colliers International
Jim Bob McAllister– CEO and Co-Founder at KEYSYS
Dan Steever– Dan Steever LLC, former CEO/President (several)
Jim Weaver– CEO at The Onin Group
Troy Duell– CEO at Centurion Labs

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors helps the organization execute its mission with effectiveness and efficiency. They provide direction and accountability on strategy and plans.

Tom Majors – Client Executive at Merative
Jeff Howard – Founder and CEO at JLH Exponential, LLC
Allison Jones – District Court Judge at Walker County, Alabama
Justin Worthington – Principal at Red Street Investment Company
Richard Mobley – Founder and Principal at The Seven Four Group
Sheryl Matton – Enterprise Marketing at Secureworks (retired)
Bill Hart – Board of Directors at Banks Academy
Mark Henley – President at Green Light Ventures, LLC
James Gannon – President at Birmingham Mosquito Control
Rob Baugher – Owner and CEO at Baugher, Inc./Remodel It
David Craig – Founder and CEO at Eminence Consulting

Health equity refers to the fair and just opportunity for everyone to attain their highest level of health, and that is what STEPS is all about. We are willing to serve anyone who is hurting with issues we can help them with, and we do so with the utmost grace, compassion and lack of judgment or stigma. STEPS represents the epitome of health equity as we seek to serve others with grace and empathy.

The STEPS focus on grace and equity is anchored in our desire to reach underserved groups marginalized and disenfranchised through shame and stigma about mental health issues and substance abuse. We are an advocate in creating awareness of the issues of stigma affecting our society, and we take steps to help the underserved. We believe that everyone—no matter their circumstances, issues, or identity—equally deserves respect, assistance, and the opportunity to improve their well-being.

We have compassion for those not getting the help, healing, and hope they deserve. We serve hurting people who may not get assistance otherwise. With digital content and outreach, we can connect with people in the convenience and safety of their homes and cell phones. We provide private and confidential online education to help them take positive steps to improve their lives and prevent problems without a burden of shame or stigma. Our voice speaks to hurting people who feel like they are broken or isolated, and we offer assurance of their personal worth and value, encouragement that they are not alone, and hope for a positive future