ASF

A Fulfilling Purpose

HELPING BALTIMORE RESIDENTS TAKE A STEP FORWARD

Nearly two decades after founding ASF, the faith-based, non-profit organization remains a safe and secure establishment for people trying to recover from drug and alcohol addiction and other life-threatening issues. Moreover, Campbell remains as passionate and committed as ever to assisting Baltimoreons in need. “A Step Forward takes on the role of a hospital,” Campbell said. “As people enter treatment torn down physically and mentally, and in need of help, I love how our team takes action. I believe that if a person attempts to get better, we must meet them where they are. They are entrusting us with their lives. There have been a few times when I wanted to step away to work a 9-5 job. Just then, a past or present client pulls me aside to tell me how much of an important impact the organization has made in their life. I then remember the purpose and realize it’s all worth it.” Over the years, ASF has participated in multiple programs, including Leadership Baltimore County (LBC), Associated Black Charities (ABC) and the Coppin State University Leadership Program, and expanded its services to work with veterans, seniors, recently incarcerated persons, and other individuals in need. ASF has also partnered with agencies and organizations to complete community projects, such as serenity gardens, walk-through theatres, food giveaways, and neighborhood cleanups. Campbell, who will soon be featured on a mural for the positive influence she’s had on the community, credits her staff, interns,

“A vision sent from God” encouraged Dr. Lela Campbell to found a residential treatment facility called A Step Forward, Inc. (ASF) in 2002. Campbell was born in Baltimore and raised in a small, close-knit family in many of its neighborhoods. As a teenager, her life was forever altered when she became pregnant and gave birth to a baby, Lamar. In the ensuing years, Campbell realized that she wanted to work with teenage mothers to help them face life’s difficulties and challenges. She received additional motivation from her brother, who at the time struggled with substance abuse and was frequently incarcerated. Ultimately, Campbell’s teenage pregnancy and the plight of her then-troubled sibling inspired the creation of ASF. She partnered with Omar Muhammad, the late Charles Moore, and her husband, Robert, to achieve her goal and launch a facility. Meanwhile, in the impoverished Harlem Park neighborhood of West Baltimore, a young woman was looking to sell her mother’s house and move her into an assisted living facility. Robert expressed interest in purchasing the property to use it as the organization’s recovery home. Campbell subsequently received resistance from some locals who were wary about the potential drawbacks of establishing a treatment facility there. i

“I remember presenting the idea at a community association meeting, feeling good about the opportunity to offer such services to a neighborhood that suffers from the perils of drugs,” Campbell said. “I was surprised when the community said ‘no.’ They do not want drug treatment facilities in their neighborhoods. I asked the community, ‘Would you rather have drug dealers in the community or folks in the community who are trying to get well?’” Campbell eventually overcame the objections and began providing support to locals experiencing homelessness. However, she was blindsided by many of her patients’ questions and requests and recognized that she needed to return to school. “When we began to provide housing, residents would ask for assistance with benefits, bus passes, vocational services,” Campbell recalled. “I thought, ‘Where is all this coming from?’ All I wanted to do was housing. With an associate’s degree in biblical studies and a bachelor’s degree in political science pre-law, I decided to go back to school to study vocational rehabilitation. I completed my master’s degree at Coppin State University in 2007 and, shortly thereafter, became a licensed counselor. In 2009, I was accepted into Morgan State University, where I obtained a Ph.D. in social work research.”

volunteers, board members, and late brother, Frederick Blue, with helping ASF reach the heights it has. “We survived so much and we are still here,” Campbell said. “I have a beautiful, compassionate team who believes in the organization’s mission and vision. Our

goal, through self-improvement opportunities, is to return to our communities men and women who have hope and a future. It has been quite a journey and it is still underway.”

- DR. LELA CAMPBELL, FOUNDER OF A STEP FORWARD, INC “I believe that if a person attempts to get better, we must meet them where they are.”