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."