Intended for Good
The Stonewater Council for Youth
The Facts
Like never before, our adolescents are in crisis and struggling to cope.
- 76% of American schools have reported increased concern about student mental health post-pandemic.
- Drug use among teenagers went up 61% between 2016 and 2021.
- Between 2019 and 2020, overdose mortality in adolescents nearly doubled (94.03%).
- More than 60% of high school seniors have abused alcohol.
- Suicide is the leading cause of death for people 10 to 34 — and rose 8 % for people ages 15 to 24 in 2021.
The Solution
As community leaders, it is our duty and responsibility to support this next generation, and give them the tools they need to take the baton and build a better future — for themselves and all of us. At Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center, we have committed to contributing our educational resources, clinical best practices, and subject matter experts to better prevent, identify, and treat adolescent mental health struggles and substance abuse. But we need your help.
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. — Genesis 50:20
Meet the Council


Michael Joe Cannon
Michael Cannon graduated from Northwest Community College, and Memphis State University, before coaching at Northwest from 1982 to 1985. He was an Ole Miss Graduate Assistant in 1986, and founded Cannon Motors of Mississippi in 1996.
Since then, Mr. Cannon has been a vital member of our community, serving on the Chamber of Commerce Board, the Mississippi Auto Dealer Board, the National Auto Dealer Board, and — now — Intended for Good: The Stonewater Council for Youth.
In fact, Cannon Motors was a key sponsor for our first-ever community event, A Night with Chris Herren, in April, 2023.

Meg Hayden
Meg Hayden has a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and an Associate Nursing Degree. She is also a Registered Nurse Compact in California, Ohio and Pennsylvania, a Board Certified School Nurse, Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant, BLS CPR Instructor, Vinyasa-Hatha Yoga Instructor and Yoga Therapist. Meg holds certifications in Sexual Health Education, Yoga of 12-Step Recovery Leadership and Mindful Teaching, as well as an MDE Secondary Educator License. She has served as the lead school nurse for the Oxford School District and Oxford High School for the last 10 years and currently teaches mindfulness and yoga.
In recovery herself since 2017, mindfulness, meditation and yoga have been integral in her own journey; Meg finds it a privilege to be able to serve the Stonewater community in this capacity. Meg enjoys reading, traveling, meditation, doing yoga, spending time with her children and being outside in nature.
“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” – Pema Chödrön



Erin Smith
While an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi, Ms. Smith joined Kappa Alpha Theta and volunteered with the sorority's national philanthropy, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). The program advocating for abused and neglected children in the courts and other settings captured her heart, and Ms. Smith would go on to become the Founding Executive Director for CASA of Northern Mississippi and the Chair of the Mississippi Council of CASA Programs. In addition, Ms. Smith was appointed to a two-year term on the National CASA/GAL Rural Leadership Council and was selected by her peers and appointed by the National CASA/GAL Board of Trustees to serve on the National Leadership Council.
She is on the steering committee for Junior Leadership Lafayette, a leadership program for 10th graders, and serves as a College District Director for Kappa Alpha Theta, where she oversees all the chapters in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana. In addition, she is an Area Advisor for the National Panhellenic Council.
Ms. Smith serves as a Commissioner on the City of Oxford Historic Preservation Commission and is an elected Election Commissioner for Lafayette County. She also is a member of the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
Ms. Smith volunteers in many other capacities around the community and with other organizations, such as coaching her five-year girl's tee-ball team, The Blue Angels.
In recognition of her efforts, she has received the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Service Award and the 2019 Extraordinary Service Award from Fraternity & Sorority Life. Ms. Smith was a finalist for Mud & Magnolias Most Influential Women award, was selected as one of Kappa Alpha Theta's 35 under 35, and was chosen as one of Oxford's Top 20 under 40 in both 2021 and 2022.


Bryan Fikes
Bryan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he earned his Bachelor of Accounting from the Patterson School of Accountancy. He is a strategic leader with a track record of successfully executing tactical business plans and organizational initiatives. Bryan is passionate about the importance and development of company culture, strategic planning and analytics. At the age of 16, Bryan acknowledged his issues with substance use, recognized the need for treatment and, during 14 months of a diverse recovery program, experienced firsthand the challenges an adolescent faces when learning to overcome a substance use disorder. With this experience came the passion for helping other young men identify their own struggles and to provide a place where they, with their families, can receive a comprehensive and individualized treatment program to achieve lifelong recovery.
“Whatever God permits, He has a purpose to promote.”

Elizabeth Fikes
Elizabeth Fikes helped found Stonewater after nearly 10 years in international branding and business development for one of the largest US housewares companies, managing brand launches and market growth in South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In addition to her roles in referral outreach, resident admissions, marketing and communications, Elizabeth has extensive knowledge of managed care policies and is actively involved in the Stonewater family and alumni programs to ensure meaningful, sustained engagement. When her brother Bryan began struggling with substance use at an early age, Elizabeth learned firsthand what it was like to see a sibling change in the throes of substance use and face the necessity of long-term treatment. Understanding that these behaviors affect not only the adolescent but the entire family, Elizabeth became passionate about sharing her family’s experience with other families at the crossroads of seeking treatment for their child.
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” – C.S. Lewis