Yelp Helps Break The Cycle With STEP2 and Break Through Reno

The only way to really understand someone else’s situation is to walk a mile in their shoes.

With the help of Reno-Sparks escape room pioneers, Break Through Reno, we created a one-time, immersive escape room experience as a way to do just that, bringing awareness to the unseen struggles facing members of our community dealing with substance use disorders and connecting Yelpers with STEP2, a Reno non-profit devoted to breaking the cycle of addiction in families.

It started with an unexpected phone call from your dear friend Jane. She tells you she’d been forced to leave her family home and can’t say why, but you’re the only person she can trust. She needs your help to retrieve some important items and bring them to her so she can explain exactly what’s been going on. 

Would you do that for your friend?

Nearly three hundred Yelpers did, entering Jane’s family home, re-created by Break Through Reno within six ballrooms provided by the Silver Legacy Resort. Each room revealed pieces of Jane’s story and a few mysterious numbers along the way. Those numbers would make up STEP2’s phone number, which participants called to learn the Jane’s whereabouts and the rest of her story before being reunited. 

Outside the room, participants were greeted by Mari Hutchinson, STEP2’s CEO, STEP2 clients and STEP2 alumni, who shared their own personal stories, bringing this experience into real life for all who attended.

It’s highly likely that we will all know a “Jane” in our lifetime. Our hope is that Yelpers who went through this experience are now more aware of the struggles they may be facing and a powerful community resource they can be directed to for help.