Stepping Stone of San Diego, which offers a nationally acclaimed residential drug-and-alcohol-addiction treatment program to the LGBT community and people impacted by HIV/AIDS, is $32,000 richer thanks to two grants recently awarded by the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation (SDHDF).
“Stepping Stone would like to thank John Brown and the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation for awarding our organization with this grant,” said Catherine Aquino, Stepping Stone CEO.
Experts in the recovery profession have characterized Stepping Stone’s program as “intensive” and “among the best in the nation.” According to the nonprofit organization’s leadership, it’s Stepping Stone’s multi-disciplinary approach that makes it different. The SDHDF award will go far, say officials from the treatment center and from San Diego Human Dignity Foundation.
“The program recognizes the importance of integrating medical and psychiatric issues throughout the treatment process,” Stepping Stone’s Aquino said. “These funds will allow us to continue to provide case management services to HIV infected individuals receiving treatment in our program.”
Through the San Diego HIV Funding Collaborative, Stepping Stone secured $25,000.00 to support their drug and alcohol treatment programs. The San Diego HIV Funding Collaborative is supported in part by the Sunshine Brooks Fund at the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation. The Sunshine Brooks Fund was established by the AIDS Foundation San Diego to continue their work supporting services in San Diego County to address the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.
In 2008, the fund was transferred to the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation.
“Thanks to the extreme generosity of Hattie (Sunshine) Brooks, SDHDF serves as a valuable resource for addressing HIV issues,” said SDHDF’s executive director, John Brown.
An additional grant of $7,157 was awarded to Stepping Stone via the AIDS Walk San Diego “Double Match Grant” program.
Introduced in 2013, the Double Match Grant program, in conjunction with the San Diego LGBT Community Center and AIDS Walk San Diego, allows for a doubling of awards to qualified HIV/AIDS service organizations to match funds raised at AIDS Walk San Diego.
“Due to the hard work of the Stepping Stone team and the vital work they do for the community, it was the pleasure of the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation to provide them with this well-deserved award,” Brown said.
