A Philanthropic Connection Leads to a Gift Bridging Communities
As Steve Bachelder approached his 50th reunion at Stanford, he looked forward to reconnecting with old friends and reflecting on shared memories. What the ’73 alum didn’t anticipate was that this milestone would inspire a new journey—one that would unite his diverse passions and create meaningful bridges between his Stanford community and his hometown of Portland, Oregon.
Active as a supporter of the Stanford Alumni Association for decades, Steve had a desire to engage with the university at a deeper level while making a philanthropic impact beyond campus. In the year leading up to his reunion, he met with his class giving officer, who encouraged him to explore giving opportunities in an area of work at Stanford that resonated for him deeply and personally.
“My No. 1 priority for giving is to address the deterioration of the city where I live due to the epidemic of homelessness, which is largely driven by addiction and mental health issues,” says Steve, who is also the father of two Stanford grads. “So I thought: What if I can find a program at Stanford that could be leveraged to address this great problem of our time? That way I could still support my alma mater while making a difference where I live—more bang for my bucks!”
Steve found his way to Anna Lembke, MD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford Medicine who specializes in addiction medicine. Not only did Steve discover that Dr. Lembke leads the Addiction Medicine Fellowship, which trains physicians and other practitioners in this important field, but he found that she had written a best-selling book, Dopamine Nation, which delves into the science of addiction and offers practical steps to intervene to treat the condition. He was particularly intrigued to find that Dr. Lembke offers an online course on the topic for addiction practitioners.
“I support and have good relationships with several of the most effective rehab organizations here in Portland and asked a few of their leaders to take the online course,” Steve says. “They gave it rave reviews, and that’s when I really knew I wanted to support Anna’s work.”
Creating a Gift with the Greatest Impact
After connecting with Dr. Lembke, Steve decided that he wanted to help fund the creation and distribution of a workbook based on Dopamine Nation—The Official Dopamine Nation Workbook—to be used by anyone wanting to reduce the consumption of addictive substances and/or behaviors, whether alcohol, drugs, food, gaming, texting, and more.
“A workbook like this seemed like the most economical, efficient way to spread Anna’s knowledge and expertise,” Steve says. “Our goal is to get it into the hands of as many people as possible—not just here in Portland, but around the country and even the world—because we are all subject to the same brain chemistry processes that can lead to addictive behavior.”
Dr. Lembke was happy to hear of Steve’s interest in her work, and the two developed a close working relationship—with Steve providing helpful suggestions on the workbook’s content. “He read an early copy and made annotations and gave feedback, which was great,” Dr. Lembke says. “For instance, we had conversations about who the target audience for the workbook should be, and we agreed that the initial version should cast as wide a net as possible and communicate the central ideas around addiction, neuroscience, and early interventions. We wanted to make it very interactive and educational.”
Steve is also helping to fund areas beyond the workbook, particularly as they relate to enrichment of the fellowship program. “His willingness to meet us where we are in terms of our financial needs is much appreciated,” Dr. Lembke says. “He has been incredibly open to supporting our trainees—our residents and our fellows—which is important because it’s essential that we train the younger generation of physicians to diagnose and treat addiction when they encounter it in clinical care.”
Dr. Lembke explains that getting out into the community and educating care providers about addiction and early interventions—training the trainers, so to speak—is vital to the field of addiction medicine. Toward that end, she and Steve recently visited the Helping Hands Re-entry Outreach Center in Portland and the Portland Rescue Mission to meet with their staffs and hear their challenges and stories—and to present them each with 50 copies of the workbook.
“They were thrilled to get the workbooks, which they insisted Dr. Lembke autograph,” Steve says. “In their field she is a rock star!” Nearly every person on both staffs had read Dopamine Nation and said it is among the most impactful books they’ve ever read on addiction, he adds.
“I tear up just thinking about what these people do—the difference they’re making, their devotion,” Steve says of the staff at Helping Hands and the Portland Rescue Mission. “They’re giving their lives’ energy out of love and compassion—and there are people all around the country doing the same work. I’m honored that Anna and I were able to visit with them and see their work firsthand.”
Connecting Passion with Purpose
Beyond the impact he’s already been able to make through supporting Dr. Lembke’s work, Steve plans to promote the workbook to local high schools and colleges. “Young people in particular need to understand the brain chemistry behind the risks they are taking with drugs, alcohol, and other addictive behaviors,” he says.
Steve adds that while he would love for alums to undertake similar efforts in their own areas of the country, above all, he hopes to inspire others to find their own passion—and to make a difference in their own way. “I think there’s a flavor for anyone, anything they’re passionate about in medicine—whether it be mental or physical issues or diseases and research,” he says. “I would encourage other Stanford alumni to think about how they can get involved with a professor who’s doing work they feel a personal connection to, and find a way to make a difference with it where they live.
“That’s what I’m trying to do here in Portland,” he adds, “and I hope others will also discover and mobilize locally the incredible expertise of Stanford Medicine.”
If you, like Steve, would like to support an area of work at Stanford Medicine that you feel passionate about, please visit our website to find out how.