Steven E. Shepherd Sr. was my father and father figure to many boys in our underprivileged neighborhood on the west side of Indianapolis Indiana. Prior to beginning his adult life, Steven .a.k.a. “Yogi” as he was affectionately known by all; was a standout basketball player for Short-ridge high-school in Indianapolis Indiana and very popular in his adolescents. Steven E. Shepherd Sr grew to be a pillar in his community, a happily married man and a father of 3. “Yogi” was gainfully employed by the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in a career position and loved his job and servicing the people and stores on his route.

Steven’s life took a turn for the worse when he was introduced and became addicted to Crack Cocaine in the late 1980’s. This pivotal moment changed the trajectory of things in his life and the lives of his immediate and extended family.

Being addicted to the deadly drug caused Steven to suffer from undiagnosed mental health issues, causing him to all but give up on life and that made my life as his oldest son one that became unbearable. It made me hopeless where there was once hope and my life spiralled out of control without the guidance of my now struggling father.

My father died as a result of his addiction in June of 2017 and I, his son ended up in 27 different institutions throughout my young and early adult life. I didn’t have a rope to grab onto and little understanding about life and that combination made my adolescent life turbulent. I didn’t want another young man to have to suffer the plight that I had; so something had to be done.

As a result, my siblings and I have decided to honour our father in a way that we know he would appreciate and the world would benefit from. We Present to you “The Steven E. Shepherd Community Foundation”