The charitable organization Steered Straight will open a new thrift store in McMinnville on Feb. 1 to support its local outpatient and national prevention programs.
Steered Straight was founded in 2007 by Michael DeLeon, who succeeded in his battle with addiction after 20 years and was a consultant on the popular A&E show "Beyond Scared Straight" for its first five seasons.
“I struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol and ended up in prison for 12 years,” DeLeon said. “While I was in prison, I helped with a program called Scared Straight, and I worked with a TV show called 'Beyond Scared Straight.' I consulted on the first five seasons of the show, and I found that it just doesn’t work. Yelling at the kids and trying to scare them didn’t work, so I wanted to do something different. So, I started Steered Straight in 2007, and we are in all 50 states. We mostly do schools and juvenile detention centers, and I speak at an excess of 700 schools each year.”
The organization moved its base of operations to Murfreesboro seven years ago and has since increased efforts to improve the lives of residents of Rutherford County and neighboring counties.
Steered Straight makes drug, bullying and vaping prevention presentations at schools nationwide. Additionally, the organization has plans to open an intention outpatient program at 113 Northgate Drive called Helping Other People Elevate, “HOPE,” which will offer services to individuals experiencing addiction recover and a partial hospitalization program.
“We have the office for the intention outpatient program, and we will be starting that this month,” DeLeon said. “This is all new, but we are trying to help people who are in the grips of addiction. This program will serve adults and young adults who are dealing with addiction, but for 17 years, we have focused on prevention. Because as I always say, the best way to end addiction is to prevent it from starting in the first place. The best way to prevent it is to reach kids between ages 7 and 17 because that’s where 95% of addiction starts.”
Schools are also offered a variety of free and paid video curriculums that provide more information on the dangers of vaping, bullying and drugs like fentanyl. Parents and teachers can also attend classes hosted by Steered Straight, which provide information on identifying dangerous behaviors and vapes disguised as other items.
Alongside the HOPE program, Steered Straight is working to provide sober housing to local veterans and pregnant mothers that includes counseling and job training.
“Our plans are to have two residential programs, one for males and one for females,” DeLeon said. “The male program will cater to male veterans, and the female program will cater to women who are pregnant or have infants or toddlers.”
Programs and curriculums from Steered Straight have also been implemented at jails and prisons in 46 states, according to the organization’s website, and the organization is attempting to implement its curriculum in the Warren County Jail. Steered Straight’s One Step Away program is a video-based curriculum that engages inmates with questions throughout the course to ensure they comprehend the material.
The Murfreesboro thrift store called “Steered Straight TOO” helps support Steered Straight’s outreach programs alongside donations, and the new location in McMinnville will also be providing its revenue to outreach programs.
The new thrift store in McMinnville will be located at 1710 Smithville Highway. Steered Straight will accept donations at its new location from 9-6 Tuesday through Saturday and 1-4 Sundays.
People who want to donate are encouraged to bring gently used clothing and small furniture items. Steered Straight will not accept large furniture items and mattresses due to the limited floor space at its new location.
