The Broken Crayons began on May 15, 2024 — founded by Budd Kuyper and Selwyn Huhn, two men who had lived it themselves, and a simple belief: broken crayons still color — and so do broken people.
We began as a motorcycle ministry, built from the start around one thing: recovery — from addiction and from mental health struggles. Riders who had lived it, riding for people still in it. Recovery first. Sobriety always. Nobody left behind. That beginning is our history, and we keep it intact on purpose: the bikes, the patch, and the road are where this family came from, and they're still part of who we are.
Ask any kid: a broken crayon still colors. It might be shorter, worn down, snapped in half by a hard year — but put it to paper and it still does exactly what it was made to do. People in recovery are the same. Broken is not the end of the story. Around here, broken can mean becoming.
The work outgrew the beginning. What started as a motorcycle ministry became weekly relapse-prevention groups, public meetings open to anyone carrying anything heavy, monthly Sober Adventures, and a growing web of partnerships across Stark County — and the structure grew with it.
The Broken Crayons has recently been restructured into a peer-led recovery organization, governed by a seven-member board.That board is the strongest thing we can tell you about us: every one of the seven — 100% — has lived experience of substance use disorder, mental health challenges, or both. Many of our board members live with dual diagnosis. We lead from the scars, not from a pedestal — everybody making decisions here has needed a meeting like ours themselves.
Seven directors. Here's what they carry between them:
7 of 7 board members have lived experience — and 4 of 7 (57%) live with dual diagnosis, substance use disorder alongside mental health challenges.
3 of 7 board members hold Ohio's Certified Peer Recovery Supporter (CPRS) credential — and a fourth, Federico Herrera, is working toward his now, which will take us to 57%.
2 of 7 board members are credentialed Peer Supervisors, qualified to guide and supervise other peers.
1 of 7 — our Peer Manager, Anthony Paradise, who also co-facilitates our Wednesday groups.
1 of 7 holds the Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant (CDCA) credential — Melissa Heeter, who also serves as our Peer Lead.
1 of 7 is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) — Melissa Heeter again. Clinical training and lived experience, in the same person, at the same table.
We don't share one faith, and we don't ask you to. We ask each person to find a higher power of their own understanding — or to honestly search for one — and to keep showing up for each other.
Meet the seven people on this board →
To walk with people in recovery and the people who love them — offering peer support, honest community, and practical help — so that nobody has to believe their brokenness is the end of their story. Broken crayons still color.