DRUG PROGRAM THE ENVY OF THE NATION

After four years in the community, Parents Empowering Parents has
become hugely successful and the drug treatment program is becoming
the envy of many other cities.

The PEP society made a presentation to Strathcona County council last
Tuesday and members packed the council chambers to listen to
co-founder Audrey Holliday give council an update on the drug problem
in Sherwood Park and how the society is dealing with it.

"Strathcona County is the envy of many communities across this country
that are in need of a similar organization," Holliday said.

Not only does PEP now have bi-weekly meetings for family members and
concurrent facilitated meetings for recovering youth, they have also
become a strong advocate in the community.

"PEP is a valued and respected voice and as such we are invited to the
table for many government focus groups for drug related issues," she
said, noting the organization has been key in improving legislation,
intervention and treatment practices in the province.

PEP now has grown to have chapters in Mill Woods and Spruce
Grove.

Holliday thanked council and the county for being so supportive to the
program, which has helped it grow immensely. Because of the growth,
PEP is in need of funds to hire an executive director for the society
and for office space. She said volunteer time is becoming very
stretched and having an executive director would make PEP more
efficient and effective.

The PEP society also gave council a touching success story, to show
how the program is really helping residents.

In the spring of 2006, just before school ended, local mom Dianna
Cable was told by her daughter that she was lonely at school and
didn't have any friends and wanted to change high schools. That
summer, as they looked for a new school, her daughter suddenly had a
new group of friends.

They were drug users and they introduced the teen to
ecstasy.

"Before we knew what was happening, she became hooked to the drug,"
said Cable. "We desperately tried to get her help but because she was
16, everywhere we turned we hit a brick wall. As parents we felt
absolutely powerless to help her. Then the worst happened - she
disappeared."

Three days later the youth was found and RCMP victims' services told
the parents about PEP. Cable attended the next meeting.

"I knew right away that these people were an answer to our prayers,"
she said "To this day I can't believe they willingly stepped into our
nightmare, took us by the hand and helped us."

She said PEP meetings gave her and her husband the strength to be able
to cope with the situation.

PEP also recommended an AADAC program for their daughter, which allows
the drug user to be put in a safe house for five days. Although it
wasn't enough for her to detox, it showed her daughter that she had
some power, Cable said. It was PEP members that fought for the
legislation for that safe house.

They used that program twice.

After the second time in the safe house, PEP co-founder Tiny Dowe
recommended the daughter should be removed from Sherwood Park to get
away from the circle of drug-using friends. She was taken directly
from the safe house to the airport, where she was sent to a mandatory
treatment facility in Arizona. Now, she has been drug-free for over a
year and is currently receiving training at a leadership college in
Pheonix, Ariz., so that she can help other teens who find themselves
in drug problems.

Cable said the story has a happy ending because of
PEP.

"They taught us, they counseled us, they guided us and they empowered
us,

"I honestly don't know what our situation would have looked like if it
weren't for PEP." Cable said.

"They were fighting for our daughter when we didn't know what to do
and we had no where to turn. They helped us save our daughter's life."

For more information on the society, visit www.pepsociety.ca.