The wife of presidential hopeful Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., told a group of girls in Ames on Tuesday they were "courageous" for fighting their addictions to drugs and alcohol, substances she said she had never in her life braved.
The girls, ages 14 to 17, were sent to live temporarily at the Seven-12 House, part of Youth and Shelter Services on Burnett Avenue in Ames, after having failed outpatient treatment for abusing substances ranging from methamphetamine and crack cocaine to alcohol and marijuana.
"They used to say cocaine was not an addictive drug," Jackie Dodd said, referring to her college debate days when she said fellow debaters took the substance as a performance enhancer, only to later find they had trouble kicking the habit.
Beginning at the Jacobson Center on Kellogg Avenue, YSS CEO George Belitsos took Dodd and two campaign aides on a tour of YSS buildings around downtown Ames.
The group visited the Rosedale Shelter, also on Burnett Avenue, which provides refuge for youth who have run away from home, are homeless or have other familial or legal issues in need of attention.
The group made its final stop before returning to the Jacobson Center at the Youth Recovery House, on Kellogg Avenue, the boys' equivalent of the girls' Seven-12 alcohol and drug addiction recovery house.
Belitsos gave Dodd the tour in part to promote the message of the Every Child Matters nonprofit organization, which aims to stress the importance of childhood education to politicians.
"We're trying to make the candidates and their spouses aware that youth need to be paid more attention to," he said.
Dodd said she became interested in YSS after hearing that Gov. Chet Culver and his wife, Mari donated the proceeds raised at the governor's inauguration ceremony to YSS.
Dodd said the tour had particular importance to her because of her husband's advocacy on behalf of children's issues in his years in the Senate.
