Alumni
Grad Founds Nonprofit Organization to Support Families Struggling with Drug Addiction
Rebecca Castro graduated from FIDM with her degree in Merchandising & Marketing and worked as a Department Manager at Nordstrom for many years before feeling a calling to do other work. She and her mother founded the Jeremy Castro Foundation (JCF) in 2017 when she tragically lost her brother, Jeremy, to a drug overdose. She is committed to helping families and individuals struggling with substance abuse. She has also started her own social media marketing consulting firm, Rebecca’s Creative Concepts, initially to help her dad with his home inspection business, but is growing with a steady stream of new clients. We caught up with her to learn more about her foundation and her journey.
Tell us a little about yourself: My name is Rebecca Castro and I am 28 years old. I was born and raised in Southern California and I am passionate about my dogs, fitness, and my businesses. I am quirky and enthusiastic and can get along with just about anyone. I thoroughly enjoy helping others and being my own boss. I spend most of my free time with my family and close friends but I love exploring and trying new activities. I love fashion and am excellent at shopping! I was previously a Department Manager at Nordstrom for many years before leaving and starting Jeremy Castro Foundation (JCF). I started working at Nordstrom as a salesperson while attending my last quarter at FIDM. I worked my way up to DM and loved my job! I still love Nordstrom and miss it dearly, but I was called to do other work.
Tell us about the Jeremy Castro Foundation: I started the Jeremy Castro Foundation in 2017 after losing my brother, Jeremy, to a drug overdose. My brother was a sensitive and kind soul. He was not what you would call your “typical drug user.” He never got in trouble with the law; he had a ton of friends; and he was a three-time national winning championship soccer player. We all sat down as a family to dinner every night and were all extremely close growing up. Like I said, not what anyone would typically imagine a “drug user” to be or come from. At Jeremy’s celebration of life ceremony (which included 200+ people) we had numerous families reaching out to my Mom and I, sharing their stories and letting us know that they were facing the same struggles we had. Addiction can happen to anyone and does not discriminate. We knew at that point we had to do something to help our local community face this problem head on. At first, we were terrified and questioned if it was something even worth doing. We ultimately felt that helping others was the best way to honor Jeremy’s memory. Months after Jeremy’s passing, we filed the papers to start our 501 (c) 3 nonprofit.
Our main goals at the foundation are to:
1) Educate our community about opioids and bring awareness to the fact that OPIOIDS DO NOT DISCRIMINATE
2) Create a judgement free zone and rid the negative stigma associated with “drug users”
3) Let anyone facing substance abuse problems know that they are not hopeless in their fight against addiction.
Our slogan at JCF is “never helpless, never hopeless” because we want the addicts and their families to know they are not alone, and recovery is possible! Our website shares our story and has local resources for people who need help. We are a resource for people who do not know where to turn when addiction enters their lives.
What is your position at the foundation? I am the co-founder and my current position at the foundation is CEO. We are a small family-run nonprofit, so most of the work is covered by me and done in-house. I am in charge of the social media, merchandise assortment and buying, fundraising, and customer outreach. Between myself and my Mom, we pretty much handle everything. Starting out was extremely scary and we had NO idea what we were doing because neither one of us had run or worked for a nonprofit before. I did have prior business knowledge from FIDM that helped a lot! Between that and Google, we have been figuring things out one step at a time. Since 2017 we have had steady growth and made a lot of traction in our community and in the recovery space.
Why did you choose FIDM? After graduating high school I went to a community college. I didn’t know what I wanted to do and felt totally lost and overwhelmed. My mom’s friend's daughter was attending FIDM at the time and encouraged me to look into it. I always knew I loved fashion and shopping, but I didn’t want to be a designer. I thought that was basically what FIDM was for…designers. BOY WAS I WRONG! After looking at the website and seeing the huge selection of courses and majors offered, I was very certain that is where I wanted to be! Within a week I took a trip to visit the campus and talk with a counselor about how to start. It was definitely worth it and I loved every second of what I learned.
How did you decide on your major? My major at FIDM was Merchandise Marketing. Along with loving clothes and fashion, I ultimately knew I wanted to be on the business end as opposed to the designer end. That is why I chose that major and I am so glad I did!! The Merchandise Marketing program prepared me and gave me skills I never anticipated using! I also never anticipated starting my own nonprofit, but here I am. =)
How do you feel FIDM prepared you for what you are doing now? Many of the classes I took pertained to business strategies and business management. It was extremely helpful to me when I started managing at Nordstrom as I had already had previous knowledge of how to manage people, time and tasks. It also taught me how to think strategically about my business and how to successfully buy merchandise and have success with it. In addition, the skills I have learned about media, marketing, and advertising a business have been the most helpful and ultimately what led me to start my media consulting business, too.
You also do social media marketing consulting—Rebecca’s Creative Concepts. Tell us about that: I have always loved social media and felt that I was good at creating content. That is what gives me my creative outlet and freedom to really showcase who I am (and my businesses) as a person. As of right now, I take no paycheck from running JCF. It is a full-time job and I do not get paid for my time. 100% of our proceeds goes to the foundation and we do not take a paycheck. After getting the foundation up and running, I realized I needed to shift my focus to supporting myself financially. The idea came to me because I have been doing my dad’s social media for many years now. My dad has a home inspection business but is also old-school. He is one of those people who “doesn’t believe in the internet” and gets business solely from referrals and word of mouth. I realized because he doesn’t have the time (or patience) for social media, that I needed to step in. His business has seen a 40% increase since using social media and all of his clients love it! He has multiple people reach out to him about who was doing his social media. That is how Rebecca’s Creative Concepts was born. I wanted to help people like my dad (boomers) become more successful and grow their businesses. It is a very niche market as I only work with clients who are small start-ups or self -owned businesses. I have a few very solid clients and between that and JCF, I am busy full time!
Any advice for current FIDM Students? Utilize any and all resources that you are given at FIDM! It is such a unique and incredible experience that offers so many options for learning! I am an alumna and for many years I have (and still do) utilize their resources to help me successfully grow my businesses. They will be your best teachers because they are professionals who have worked or currently work in the industry. Experience is key and they are more than willing to share their knowledge with you!
What is your biggest goal right now? My biggest goal right now is to continue to grow JCF and become a nationally recognized foundation. As a business owner, you only get out as much as you put in. It is a constant job to maintain any business, but it is definitely worth it in the long run. Giving back and helping others is what truly makes me happy and I am able to do that through my work, which is not something many people can say, and it is a true gift.
Anything else you’d like to share? If anyone is interested or wants to know more, our website is jeremycastrofoundation.org. We also recorded a podcast called “Twenty Dollars” where we share our story and interview seven people with different viewpoints as it pertains to addiction. It is very educational and eye-opening.
Keep up with Rebecca Castro on Instagram @rebeccacastro and Jeremy Castro Foundation @jc.foundation.
Categories: Merchandising & Marketing Alumni Transfer Student
