Pubdate: Fri, 09 Nov 2007 Source: Quincy Herald-Whig (IL) Copyright: 2007 Quincy Herald-Whig Contact: http://www.whig.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3360 Author: Rodney Hart, Herald-Whig Staff Writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts) DRUG COURT PROGRAM'S FIRST GRADUATES SHARE SUCCESS STORIES Cora Wortham and Cecilia McBride took the Drug Court opportunity and ran with it. On Thursday, with their fellow Drug Court participants, court employees and family members packed into an Adams County courtroom, they paid tribute to the man who pushed them to run. Wortham and McBride, both former crack cocaine addicts, graduated from Drug Court and praised former probation officer Frank Calkins, who helped start Drug Court a year ago. Calkins, who has ALS and is unable to talk, was visibly moved when a speech he had written was read in the courtroom. "Frank, he's my man," said McBride, 38, who had used crack cocaine for nearly half her life until quitting for good in May 2006. "Frank's motto is 'we can never fail.' I took that and ran with it." Drug Court is a more intensive form of felony probation. The 20 participants attend weekly court reviews, group sessions and counseling. In the first of three phases, they have drug tests up to three times a week. "Frank broke me out of my shell," said Wortham, 49. "He gave me the positive things to work with .... Without Drug Court, I'd be on the streets or in prison. I'd be on my way to nowhere." Tears began to flow after Wortham gave a short speech and called Calkins "my knight in shining armor." Calkins and counselor Gail Westerhoff of Recovery Resources, who read Calkins' speech, oversaw the program in its first year. Chris Pfeiffer of the probation department took Calkins' place when he retired last month. Calkins credited the two graduates for being employed and law-abiding citizens who serve as role models for others struggling with addiction. "Every time someone succeeds, we all benefit," Calkins wrote. "It gives us hope. No matter how bad things get, change is possible if you make the choice and do the work. Today we honor CC and Cora for starting that road. We applaud you for choosing this path and are very proud of you." The Drug Court began in September 2006. It convenes on Thursdays at the courthouse. Judge William Mays presides over cases. Eligible defendants face felony charges. Drug Court clients are either people who have failed probation or people who want a charge removed from their record. If defendants successfully complete Drug Court, which typically lasts about a year to 18 months, they'll remain on probation with regular terms and conditions or have the charge removed from their record. Mays meets with employees of the state's attorney's office, Quincy Police Department, the Probation Department and service providers on Thursday mornings to review existing cases and hear recommendations for new Drug Court clients. McBride had her 2003 drug possession probation revoked when she failed to appear for a court review last year. Drug Court was all that stood between more jail time and more failure. "There was no way I was going to slide or get by with anything in Drug Court," she said before the ceremony. "I felt in my heart this is what I wanted to do. I told myself I was going to quit many times, but this time I felt so real. "I was tired of it. I was tired of looking over my shoulder, wondering when the police were gonna come to pick me up." McBride just started a new job at Transitions CRC, and Wortham works for the Illinois Department of Human Services as a senior citizens caregiver. The mother of four children, including two teenagers, Wortham said she used crack cocaine for about four years until stopping in September 2006. Both she and McBride are starting a Drug Court alumni group, and they plan to stay in touch with current participants and future graduates. They are both still on probation, but they are confident they will succeed. "I pray every night that God sends me down the right path," Wortham said. "Not only for me, but for my children, too." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman