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."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman