HELP ON HAND FOR TROUBLED KIDS

John Grozelle Jr. and Kris Starling are pretty scary guys. They both have
that been-there, done-that look far too many young people attempt to affect
to impress people.

But in their case, it's not an act. They have been down that long, dark
tunnel of substance abuse and managed to crawl to the light at the end.

Grozelle, 22, has a lengthy history of drug and alcohol abuse that goes
back years. He has been before the courts and in and out of institutions.
Starling, 20, has a similar background and both were headed for the rocks
until the downward spiral of their lives forced them to confront their
problems.

The trouble is, where do young people go?

Fortunately, help is available. The Substance Abuse Prevention team (SAP)
is a local volunteer group dedicated to preventing the kinds of problems
that plague larger communities across North America.

Its mission statement is "Community partners working together to prevent
problems associated with alcohol and drugs," and it is sponsored by the CN
Police, OPP, Fort Frances Ambulance Services, local churches, and the Fort
Frances Volunteer Bureau--concerned people reaching out to others in trouble.

"We try to promote funding, research, and guidance," said SAP co-ordinator
Brad Herbert. "We feel there's quite a serious problem in the district."

Grozelle and Starling agree. They said there are other young people like
themselves in need of help and they want to extend the kind of helping hand
that was offered them.

To do that, they said, required them to bare their souls and confront the
truth--as Grozelle did last Friday night when he addressed 120 SAP
supporters at the Joy of Life Fellowship Church here.

"My name is John and I'm an alcoholic," he said to a round of warm and
compassionate applause.

Grozelle explained how he first sought help nearly two years ago and how it
has been a day-to-day struggle ever since. "I've fallen off the wagon a
couple of times, but I've been sober for four months now," he noted.

Both Grozelle and Starling feel they were fortunate to encounter people
like Herbert and SAP, but it is difficult to get the message across to
young people.

Starling has been clean and sober for nearly three months now and like
Grozelle, he had to hit rock bottom before he could ask for help.

"Like John [Grozelle], my life used to revolve around drugs and alcohol,"
said Starling. "But the problem with people our age is they think you can't
have a problem and that's totally not true.

"I had my first drink at 14," he added.

Another major problem in getting through to young people is there are not
the resources available to them that there are for adults--unless they get
into trouble.

Grozelle and Starling decided it was time to do something about helping
other young people avoid the same pitfalls so they started an organization
called Youth Educating Professionals, Parents, and Peers.

YEPPP isn't just for young people, stressed Grozelle. It's also a means for
parents and those in authority to understand what young people are going
through.

"It's to help people find the help they need," he said. "There's no help
for youth, so we're trying to start something."

Now, they once again are looking for both support and input from the public
and already they've received a positive response.

Sandy McEvoy sits on the board of SAP and is the pastor at Joy of Life
Fellowship Church. She said she supports Grozelle and Starling's endeavour
wholeheartedly.

"It's a good program and I hope they get lots of support," she said. "I
think what they're doing is important."

Fort Frances OPP Cst. Al MacDonald agrees. One of the OPP's community
service officers and part of the parent support group for SAP, he said he's
firmly behind the YEPPP initiative.

He's particularly impressed by the fact Grozelle and Starling are taking on
a significant challenge beyond what they have already accomplished with
respect to turning their own lives around.

"They're doing it totally on their own," said Cst. MacDonald. "This is
brand new territory and these kids deserve credit. I have no doubt this
will help adults understand what kids are going through.

"As part of a parent support group, I'm supporting this."

Grozelle and Starling are hoping others will show the same support when
YEPPP holds its first organizational meeting this Friday night (April 11)
at the old CN station on Fourth Street West.

The public is welcome to attend, but be prepared to hear some things that
may be uncomfortable. Grozelle and Starling said they intend to speak
plainly and honestly about their own experiences with drugs and
alcohol--and the effect they have had on their lives.

"We won't be pulling any punches," said Grozelle.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Snacks and beverages will be available.