The Roby Think Tank, a community-led organization conducted its first meeting last month with the goal of tackling one of the most difficult challenges faced in almost any society: Drug and alcohol dependency. Since then, the organization has received a $10,000 donation from the county, and with the help of city officials requested that commissioners impose a countywide curfew for its youth.
“You hear people say, ‘Something needs to be done;’ ‘We need to do something,’” said Kevin Kelly, a medical professional with the county's hospital district and Roby CISD Board member. “I thought, ‘What can I do as a provider in our community to help others.’”
Kelly’s solution was to reach out to minds that he said were bigger than his own. He brought together more than a dozen business and industry professionals, fellow medical professionals, church leaders, public officials, school district, and law enforcement personnel in late July to discuss what could be done at a local level to address the complexities associated with dependency.
Each of the individuals in the room Kelly said were already contributing to the community and each was doing their part. The question he posed was if the group periodically met to share ideas, concepts, as well as individual knowledge and expertise, could they have an even larger impact on the community.
“It's not going to be fixed instantly,” said Kelly. “We're getting into this for a long-term fight because the only way we can do this is together.”
Fisher County Sheriff Randy Ford said the most common issues the department faces are often drug-related, be it drugs themselves or crimes and mental illnesses that frequently accompany drug addictions. Anything that can be done to keep the people out of jail is a welcome alternative, and Ford said he has personally driven individuals to treatment facilities in Abilene.
“We can get them to a facility. The problem is holding them,” said Fisher County Judge Ken Holt, “and 48 to 72 hours is not enough to fix the issue.”
The group agreed that the cyclical nature of drug dependency spliced with random intervals of treatment is a lack of a support structure for those seeking ongoing assistance. A deeper discussion over the next resulted in the group taking on the task of establishing an outreach program.
The question of where meetings could be held was solved when first Baptist Church of Roby minister Brandon Carreon agreed to open the church for hosting meetings, adding that he would like whichever program used to be Christian-based. The 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous program was a nonstarter for the group, who after discussing several other potential programs, decided on Celebrate Recovery.
Representing the organization, Roby resident and businessman, Derrick Green approached the County commissioners early this month to explain the group's intentions and the need for financial support. He requested the county budget for a $10,000 donation, dedicated toward initial training and the cost of materials, volunteering first-hand knowledge of how a local outreach program could benefit the county as a whole.
Sheriff Ford was also in attendance, informing the commissioners he felt it would be money well spent. Fisher County Attorney Michael Hall agreed, adding that a local program like this would be an invaluable resource for defendants who go on probation.
“A lot of people need that, and we don't really have the resources or a place to send them. I'm very much in favor of this,” said Hall and extended his gratitude to Green and those behind starting the program.
In a brief back-and-forth, Green alleviated the court concerned about staffing the program long term, as manpower is always a challenge for any organization. While the court tackled difficult and often controversial decisions during budget workshops, commissioners were in agreement when adding the $10,000 donation into this year's budget.
Think tank members are expected to meet again this Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Fisher County Courthouse. Kelly said the goal is to continue tackling challenging issues within the community and welcomes any solution to the communities’ most complex