She had beautiful long blonde hair and hazel eyes. She was a strikingly attractive woman who looked much older than her young age of 20-something. When I read her journal,
filled with honest, raw pain, the part that has stuck with me all these years later was the fact that when she opened her eyes in the morning, her first thought was, “where will I get my drugs today?” This was followed by a day “working” at finding her fix. What are your thoughts as you begin your day? What will I wear? What is on the kid’s schedule today (swimming lessons, Little League, daycare)? What time is that meeting I need to attend? Don’t forget to pick up some milk and bread. Or maybe you are like this young woman and wonder where you will get your drugs each day. If so, I sincerely hope and pray your life does not end as hers did, alone in a motel room, dead from a drug overdose.
The Link for Hope Coalition has been in existence in Houlton since the untimely death of Roger (Dodger) Howland in 2004. Howland was a 19-year-old who died while waiting to get into residential treatment. Through the tears of a broken-hearted father, Roger’s dad demonstrated how the pins that hold the foundation forms in place to pour cement hook together, we as a community need to do the same. Then we will have a firm foundation. He explained that nothing is going to change until we all work (link) together.
A governing structure was put in place, which included various aspects of the community; social service, law enforcement, school, parents, students, faith, medical and recovering communities. The Link for Hope Coalition became “a community-based coalition whose vision and purpose is to promote the health, safety and quality of life for all youth, families, and communities in southern Aroostook.” The mission of the Link for Hope Coalition is to “enhance the quality of life in southern Aroostook by reducing problems related to alcohol and other drug problems and teen suicide.”
The Link for Hope Coalition did a focus group with a variety of community groups to determine the perceived issues of the substance abuse problem in our area. The highest results were apathy, availability and accessibility, lack of parental guidance and inconsistence in the schools and justice systems.
Link for Hope partnered with the Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition to bring information and activities around the 40 Developmental Assets series. The group has had various speakers come to the area, most recently Judge Tom Webb last fall, who brought the message “You Can Make a Difference” and this spring a “Methamphetamine Awareness” Night was held at Houlton’s Southside School. Presenters were Dr. Karen Simone, director of the Northern New England Poison Control Center; Darrell Crandall, commander of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Butch Asselin, chief of Police for the Houlton Police Department, Peter McCorison, from the Aroostook Mental Health Center, Philip Jurson from Life by Design and Gretel Crockett from the Department of Health and Human Services child protection division.
The feedback received from the presentation was that people wanted to know where they could go to get help. In an effort to meet that need, The Link for Hope Coalition is offering several avenues through September, “Recovery Awareness Month.”
