Standard-Times photo by Patrick Dove Jackie Johnson, 19, gestures in frustration as she speaks at "Meth in the Family," a public symposium at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in San Angelo. Johnson, one of a crowd of more than 275 community members, spoke about trouble getting treatment for drug abuse problems.

By JOE RUIZ , jruiz@sastandardtimes.com or 659-8262
July 28, 2006

Eight days after the ringing in of 2006, Stephanie Couch walked away from her home - and a life in shambles - in Houston. The 31-year-old mother of two, who woke up to the realization that her husband was in jail and her children were in foster care, kept walking - mile after mile, out of the city, eventually hitchhiking her way to San Angelo.

On January 11, Couch walked into the offices of Child Protective Services in Tom Green County to begin the process of reclaiming custody of her children, who were in foster care in San Angelo.

The recovering methamphetamine addict shared her story with a crowd of more than 275 at St. Paul Presbyterian Church on Thursday evening as part of the ''Meth in the Family: What Can You Do?'' presentation hosted by the Concho Valley Family Alliance.

The meeting was an effort by the Alliance and the Children's Advocacy Center of Tom Green County to educate those in attendance on what Sgt. Marcus Hooker of the San Angelo Police Department called ''an epidemic.''

''We're dealing with this international drug problem right here in San Angelo, Texas,'' Hooker said.

A slide show presented by the police department preceded comments from Georgia Brown of state Child Protective Services.

Out of the 15 child removal cases from the Concho Valley in the month of June, she said, 10 were related to methamphetamine use by the children's caretakers.One goal of the meeting was to air ideas about how to combat the growing problem, said Deidre McCoy, director of community resources for the Children's Advocacy Center.

The alliance wants to take some of the ideas from the meeting and find ways to incorporate them. Stricter enforcement of drug laws, stronger parental responsibility, enhanced and more frequent media coverage, and recruiting more volunteers for programs and foster homes were some of the ideas mentioned during the open forum.

Couch's story of success, beginning with her haunting past leading to her taking responsibility for her actions, evoked emotions in the crowd. People in the audience sniffled and tried to hold back tears through the breaks in Couch's speech.

''When I came here, I found people with outstretched hands to help pull me out of the hole I dug for myself,'' Couch said.

In May, clean and with a newfound sense of responsibility toward her children, Couch said the help she received from the CVFA and other local agencies has helped her reach a point where she wants to help others in similar situations.

She now works as a mentor for the CVFA and is helping with their parenting classes.

''When you're going through everything, you wonder why you're still on the face of the earth,'' she said. ''I think this is why. ... If I speak tonight and there's just one person who can get a grasp or get a light bulb off in their head, then I've helped.''

Get involved

The Children's Advocacy Center can be contacted at (325) 653-4673. The group meets next on Aug. 8 at noon at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, 11 N. Park St.