We Bloom’s fight against Indiana’s opioid crisis

“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. Rhiannon and Gene. (Photo/Rhiannon Clayton) 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...