Spotlight on an NCCSO Leader

Meet Margo Johnson

I am happily married and have two wonderful daughters. I am an assistant manager and half owner of a publishing company and will soon be returning to college.

My story wasn't always so happy though...At 23 I was pregnant, and my daughter's father was not interested in helping to support our child. The years after her birth were very difficult. I always worked hard, but on my income, raising a child alone was tough. Many times, I had to choose between paying rent and paying childcare. Child support NEVER came.

During these hard times, I could hardly afford food, shelter, or healthcare. I was even forced to send my daughter to live with close friends in another state for a short while. But even that was not enough. I got a second job, took in a roommate, and worked 6 days a week from 7:00am until midnight and from noon until 6:00pm on Sundays. Child support NEVER came, and no matter how hard I worked, my daughter was suffering.

When I filed for support, my daughter's father filed for custody of the daughter he hardly knew. It became a six-year nightmare, and still, child support NEVER came.

My case, like thousands of others, was too difficult for the government to solve. They didn't have time, and my daughter's father was sly. He would move, change jobs, file for custody.....it was all too much for the limited resources for the government to handle.

After years of fighting, I finally found the OPTION that worked for my family. A private child support agency got support for my daughter. I honestly don't know where my family would be today without the agency.

OPTIONS meant hope for Margo and meant support for her daughter.

Get involved today, so that others have the options that helped Margo.