Kaitlyn came to “Support the Enlisted Project” (STEP) offices with her two young children asking for help. She was facing eviction and repossession of her car. Her husband was enlisted in the Navy and deployed thousands of miles away. As it has with thousands of other military families, STEP helped Kaityln and her family with emergency grants and, most importantly, assisted her in developing a financial plan to avoid future financial crises. “Other programs distribute money to address immediate needs,” said Tony Teravainen, who co-founded STEP in 2012. “In creating STEP, we didn’t want to just do that. We wanted to help families get through a financial crisis in a way that it is their last crisis. “We offer emergency funds, but only if they develop a viable financial plan. This is not a handout. That’s what other programs do.” The free program includes 20 hours of counseling and assistance in financial planning by trained professionals and counseling on educational opportunities, along with one year of follow-ups. “A year after graduating our program, 90% of the families are still improving their financial wellness scores and working toward their financial goals,” said Teravainen, pointing out that he is unaware of another program like STEP that goes beyond distributions. Of the 8,500 military families STEP has helped through crises similar to Kaitlyn’s, only 255 have returned asking for an additional grant. None have returned a third time. Teravainen’s focus on financial planning is based upon his own experience with military life. He was raised in a military family, and he served in the Navy. Born in 1968, Teravainen and his two siblings were raised on various Air Force bases. Noting they lived like most military families just making ends meet, Teravainen said his mom worked as a waitress at night and his dad worked second and third jobs when not deployed. When deployed, it was for many months while the children remained with their mom. The family constantly moved. “Life is about moving, setting up new homes, a year to get adjusted, then six months later moving again,” Teravainen said. “I felt like I was a spectator in my own life, looking at things as they happen. There was no time for aspirations or planning. “The saying is true that military kids will say goodbye to more people than non-military people will meet in a lifetime. “When you’re in the military, a lot of things you should be doing every day fall by the wayside,” he explained. “Military families often don’t plan things such as finances. It’s not a question of intelligence. With frequent moving and deployment, they become spectators, as I experienced growing up, and either never learned or focused on financial planning.” After graduating high school in 1986, Teravainen spent eight years in the Navy before medically retiring in 1995. He worked on a nuclear submarine, deployed to the Mediterranean during Desert Storm and to special operations in the Arctic. Upon leaving the Navy, Teravainen, an Escondido resident, worked 12 years for SONY in Rancho Bernardo and five years for a management consulting firm. He attended college part time, earning a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering and a master’s in executive leadership. While working in the private sector, he volunteered with a local nonprofit to help cash-poor military families. “We just handed out money,” he said. “There was no help with long-term changes or financial planning. That didn’t seem right.” So, in 2012, he co-founded STEP with a goal of not only helping families through their financial troubles but also giving them the ability to manage their own lives. Over the years, STEP’s success in helping military families has been noticed. It has received recognition at the local, state and congressional level and has received a Spirit of Hope Award from the U.S. Secretary of Defense. He has been recognized as San Diego County Veteran of the Year and Nonprofit Executive of the Year. For Teravainen, however, STEP’s work is not about awards. It is more personal. “When I see these families, I see myself.”