Ask any Stepping Stone veteran about their experience at San Diego’s only GLBT recovery facility and you’ll get a myriad of responses. With a sense of pride, old-schoolers tend to recount horror stories about the old facility – the back-in-the-day explanation of when times were tough and life wasn’t handed to you on a silver spoon. More recent residents praise the current state-of-the-art facility and cutting-edge programs that have helped change their lives and the lives of thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. But no matter who you talk to, everyone agrees on one thing: Stepping Stone saved their life.

From a once dilapidated, struggling alcohol and drug rehab facility, operating on an insignificant annual budget, to a multi-million dollar award-winning national model, Stepping Stone is a true accomplishment shared by the entire community. While countless people have contributed throughout the years, including staff, board members, donors and former residents, one person stands out as the driving force behind Stepping Stone’s success: executive director Cheryl Houk.

After 17 years of service, Houk announced she will retire March 31. Under her leadership, the organization has grown from three staff members to 28, and the budget has increased from $120,000 to $1.9 million. There are now over 2,000 clients served annually.

Cheryl recognized earlier than most the disproportionate levels of substance abuse within the GLBT community and dedicated her life to helping people and the GLBT community fight against alcohol and drug abuse.

With Cheryl at the helm, Stepping Stone was one of the first recovery organizations to identify the growing threat of crystal meth, now considered by many the new gay epidemic. Stepping Stone is also one of the first recovery facilities to shed light on the relationship between sex and substance abuse; thus the creation of the Sexual Behavior Relapse Prevention Program.

Discovering Sexual Health in Recovery is a 12-week program that teaches people in recovery how to recognize and deal with sexual situations and drug use. Stepping Stone is working to provide a model for this program for other drug and alcohol treatment facilities to replicate throughout San Diego County. These pioneering efforts have led the way for thousands.

During her tenure as Stepping Stone’s longest-serving executive director, Houk has served on local, state and national task forces and boards focused on GLBT recovery and housing issues. Some of those include the County of San Diego Methamphetamine Strike Force, the Alcohol and Drug Service Provider Association, the HIV/AIDS Housing Committee, the HIV/AIDS Planning Council and the Dual Diagnosis Task Force, to name just a few.

There are many ways in which we can honor Cheryl for her unbending efforts to curb substance abuse in the GLBT community. To the tens of thousands that have gone through Stepping Stone’s day program or live-in facility, or have attended meetings: Send a $100 check today. If everyone would contribute, that would be close to $1 million. Stepping Stone has changed your life, and a $100 donation is the least you can do to thank Cheryl for her work.

Cheryl’s tireless grant writing and fund-raising efforts took what was literally a dump and transformed it into a gorgeous 28-bed long-term facility offering a variety of programs including HIV/AIDS support services, education and outreach. A testimony to her retirement would be to name the facility the Cheryl Houk Stepping Stone rehabilitation center.

Congratulations, Cheryl, on 17 years of exceptional service. Your work has saved lives and changed countless more for the better. The entire community takes off their hats and commends you for the passion with which you have done your job all these years.