Donor Spotlight: Q&A with Steve Garran

Steve is the executive board treasurer of Sharing Kindness whose business, Steven M. Garran CPA, was the presenting sponsor for this year’s Cape & Islands Suicide Awareness Walk.

Q: What brought you to Sharing Kindness?

I have been involved in SK (Sharing Kindness) since it’s infancy. When Kim and Davis conceived of the idea of SK, they decided that they should seek out professional help with the filings of the organization. Davis and I were serving on the board of another nonprofit at the time, so they made an appointment with me.  Listening to their vision made me really want to be part of what they were going to do. The only thing I remember is telling them that I would be happy to help, but that I would really like to be on their board. The rest is history!

Q: How are you involved with the organization?

I am the treasurer and member of the board of directors. I have also been to every walk except 2021, because I was out of town when that happened.  I have raised money for every walk and was the presenting sponsor at the 2022 walk.

Q: Why do you feel personally invested in this cause?

We all experience grief and trauma in our lives. When I was in my teens and early twenties, I struggled with depression and contemplated suicide several times. I didn’t talk to anyone about this and didn’t feel like there was anybody I could talk with. 

On the outside I was a high achieving, seemingly happy person, but on the inside, I was struggling to breathe and function. Somehow I made it through those years, and have learned how to embrace my grief as a part of me and carry it along with me in my journey through life.

If I can be part of an organization that loves and supports others who are experiencing the things that I experienced as a teen and young adult, then I feel like I have accomplished a great thing. Suicide loss and grief in general can tear a person apart. I know those feelings. I have felt those emotions.  

Q: How do you feel you benefit from donating funds, time and passion to this nonprofit?

I always say that I get far more out of SK than I could ever give. That is a true statement. If my time, treasure and talent can help one person carry their load of grief a little easier, then I have succeeded. 

Every interaction I have with SK is positive. I feel better physically and mentally after every meeting.  Every time. The love and support that our organization gives to some of the most vulnerable, and at times, broken people is immeasurable. To be part of that in some small way is priceless to me.