Steven Bryan – Figuring Out What Individuals Need Most

Steven Bryan describes the Siskiyou Community Resource Collaborative (SCRC) as a “space where you can have a millionaire standing next to someone who is homeless.” With branches in Dunsmuir, Montague, Mount Shasta, Scott Valley, Weed, and Yreka CA, SCRC exists to help anyone and everyone take practical steps toward health and wholeness.

Steven became SCRC’s South County Regional Director in March of 2018. Under the leadership of Executive Director Michelle O’Gorman, SCRC takes many steps in its mission to “strengthen families, build community in the North State, and provide concrete support in times of need.” Lane Michel, president of SCRC’s community partner Unified Caring Association (UCA), says SCRC  has “taken on a life force under Steve’s leadership. He’s always in figuring out what individuals need most and employing all the tools at his fingertips.”

A pulse on what people need

At the start of the pandemic, South SCRC and UCA coordinated emergency food distribution. “Steve saw people sorting through the bags and setting aside the canned goods,” Lane recalls. “He talked with them and figured it out: people didn’t have can openers. He asked me if there was a way to get can openers.” As a nationwide organization, UCA moved into action to begin distributing can openers in the North State and throughout the country. “It all started with Steve,” Lane says. “Steve has the pulse on what the people he serves need.”

Relocating to the North State

Originally from Dallas, TX, Steven Bryan moved to Las Vegas and worked as the marketing director for a company that produced an app to help non-profits raise funds. He also founded and directed marketing for On Point Projects LLC, a business consulting company. After meeting his wife, Mary, on Catalina Island and becoming a father to Roman, 14; and Scarlett, 11, Steven realized he didn’t want to raise his children in Las Vegas. The family decided to relocate to the North State, where Mary grew up. “I’m a mountains and ocean guy, so when we moved to Siskiyou I thought, wow, this is where I want to be,” he recalls. He channeled his non-profit experience into working for SCRC in a community outreach advocate position through First 5 Skiskiyou, accepting the South SCRC Regional Director position when it became available. “It’s just keep evolving,” he says.

Intentional leadership

While Steven’s role career may have evolved beyond his intentions, his regional directorship of SCRC is characterized by intentional, active decision-making. Engaging the community was especially difficult in the thick of the COVID-19 lockdowns. “We were one of the only organizations that remained open the whole time,” he says. “We ended up doing a lot of extra services just because it was the right thing to do.”

Enriching families’ lives

SCRC has helped people file for unemployment, obtain social security and in-home support services, and locate their stimulus checks. Each resource center provided food, toilet paper, diapers, wipes, and more. This was on top of regular services that enrich families’ lives, like mental health workshops, an organic community garden, monthly book deliveries for preschoolers (the Dolly Parton Imagination library), family fun nights, back-to-school pool parties, summer camps, and Santa workshops.

Through partnership with First 5 Siskiyou contractors SCRC also offers parenting classes and support for issues like Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and child abuse prevention. “It’s great to see people succeed or become even better if they are already on track,” he says. The parenting classes, for example, recognize that even great parents can learn and grow. “There is always room for improvement,” Steve says.

New opportunities and creative ideas

Steven Bryan loves the fact that SCRC offers these diverse services and constantly evaluates new opportunities. Mike Rodriguez, the former Mount Shasta Recreation and Park District administrator, admires Steve’s openness to new and creative ideas. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him flat-out turn down an idea at the start,” Mike says. “He’s a good listener; he’ll take some time to evaluate and give his thoughts.”

A focus on family and interacting with the world

Despite the myriad demands of SCRC’s projects and programs, Steven intentionally “leave[s] work at work” so he can focus on his family. He has coached his children’s soccer and baseball teams for years, and he created and managed a competitive baseball team that his son played on for several years. He also enjoys fishing, hiking, and traveling in the North State and beyond. As a younger man, he volunteered at a camp for mentally and physically disabled youth, and befriended many international camp counselors whom he later visited around the world. Reflecting on backpacking through Europe and the Mayan Trail in Central America, Steve says that travel has made him “really appreciate all cultures (and all food!)” and “influenced how I look at and interact with the world.” He hopes to one day travel in Asia. “I’ve always wanted to go there; I haven’t made it yet!”

Fortunately, however, Steven Bryan has made it to Siskiyou County. With any luck, the North State will continue to enjoy and benefit from being the part of the world that Steve most regularly interacts with for many years to come.