“Gene was very, very social. He was someone where you walk into a room and before you’ve been there for two seconds, he’s there. He’s greeting you. He’s welcoming you into his home and he’s immediately connecting with you.”
Indianapolis resident Rhiannon Clayton is describing her coworker and friend, Gene Stepp.
Clayton met Stepp while she was working as the senior Recovery Café manager, where Stepp was recovering from substance abuse. A veteran with health issues, Stepp quickly befriended Clayton while he was on his recovery journey.
Clayton said her coworkers initially described Stepp as keeping to himself, but he came out of his shell as he started volunteering more.
“Slowly but surely, he started to open up in different ways,” Clayton said. “I always compared him to a labrador puppy. As soon as you walked in, he was right there with you, asking questions and showing you everything.”
However, Stepp began falling short on his recovery. He wasn’t coming to culinary classes on time, he was missing days randomly and he was quick to frustration with members and staff.
“We wanted to make sure Gene was doing okay,” Clayton said. “We know how hard it is to pour from an empty cup. We saw Gene take a step back and put a wall up.”
Stepp’s appearances at the Recovery Café began to grow further apart. Clayton and her coworkers went from seeing him every day to once a week.
“It definitely was more a shadow of Gene,” Clayton said. “It wasn’t the same Gene that we had grown to love and see.”
When Clayton returned from a two-week vacation, Gene was gone.
Stepp was found in an unresponsive state in his apartment. He was taken to the hospital and taken off life support on August 9, 2023.
Stepp’s story is one of 2,089 Hoosiers who died from overdose in 2023, according to the Indiana Department of Health. Local nonprofit We Bloom strives to honor Stepp’s memory by reducing that statistic and providing a safe space for anyone who is struggling with mental health.
“We Bloom focuses a lot on creating communities of healing, love and justice,” Clayton said. “Our focal point is looking at catalyzing health and communities and looking at the health of a person in the whole sense.”
The Recovery Café is the medium by which We Bloom created that community in Indianapolis five years ago. The café is the organization’s largest program and welcomes anyone over the age of 18, but Clayton said it is not like typical addition or recovery programs.
“We’re not sober-focused,” Clayton said. “We aren’t just for those in active addiction. We deal with every and all aspects of recovery.”
The recovery can be from mental health, trauma, homelessness, addiction, justice or simply just someone in need of social support. Each week at the same date and time, members will meet with a group of peers. This circle is led by peer recovery coaches and is open to anyone to share challenges, triumphs or sit and listen to other stories.
“People really come together, and they’re really supported,” said Caroline Durava, associate executive director at We Bloom. “Everyone is at a different point in their journey.”
In addition to the Recovery Café, We Bloom offers the Discovery Café to younger community members who are struggling. The methods are the same — a circle each week with peer coaches, additional resources and social support. The Discovery Café program is open to members from ages 12-17.
Both the Recovery and Discovery cafes are free. Guests are welcomed for three visits before asking if they would like to become a member. You must participate in the weekly circle in order to be a member.
“We know that the café is not the end all be all for folks,” Durava said. “We just want to be social support for the community. We want to be that safe space.”
While there are 16 cafés in central Indiana that continue to grow their reach, We Bloom also provides School for Recovery classes, one-on-one peer recovery coaching, community events, overdose prevention kits and BIPOC health equity initiatives to continue their mission.
“We have seen first-hand the need for our work and for similar work,” Durava said. “When folks are not at (the circle), they are noticed. The opioid epidemic has been incredibly devastating for our community.”
While Stepp’s life came to a tragic end, his legacy continues to fuel the fire for those who wish to help curb the opioid epidemic in Indianapolis.
“Gene had a sense of love that he was always willing to share with others. He would always say that he would come to terms with his recovery in his own time,” Clayton said. “He was a ray of sunshine.”
For more information about We Bloom, visit webloom.org. For the latest data on opioid deaths in Indiana, visit in.gov.
Indy’s Black community combats opioid crisis – Indianapolis Recorder
Indy’s Black community combats opioid crisis (Part 2) – Indianapolis Recorder
Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
Prior to Stepp’s death, he shared with his coworkers the “recipe to recovery.”
Ingredients
3 Cups of AA
1/2 Cup of NA
1 Tablespoons of CA
4 Cups of recovery
1/2 Cup of listening
5 Cups of love
12 Eggs
2 Cups of tools that apply to you
1/2 Cup of GA
1 Cup of awareness
2 Cups of positive people
1 + 1/2 Cups of willingness
3 Cups of acceptance
1 Dash of Flavor
3 Cups of Laughter
+ a little extra love
Mix everything together, bake at 350 for 20 minutes, let it cool, add your favorite buttercream icing and sprinkles. Then, add a little bit more love.
