GIVING SOMETHING BACK

Drug Court Offenders Adopt Families

Pike County drug court wasn't the usual weekly session Monday. A
Christmas tree presided over heaps of presents, a lighted angel gazed
from the witness stand, and a court official wore a red shirt and elf
hat.

Instead of Judge Keith Starrett discussing each person's case, he
turned the proceedings over to a pair of women who had organized their
fellow drug court members to adopt needy families for Christmas.

"I could stand up here and cry because we worked so hard to do this
and it turned out so good," said Crystal Pigott, who broke down in
tears as she addressed the crowd in the courtroom at Magnolia.

Sherry Driscoll said the desire to help others as she had been helped
came to her when she was in jail in Lincoln County last year. When she
enrolled in drug court as part of her sentence, she fastened on the
idea of adopting needy families for the holidays.

She enlisted Pigott's help, and they involved drug court participants
in Lincoln, Pike and Walthall counties. They raised $600 in cash
donations plus a wealth of toys, clothes and canned food.

They found two needy, single-parent families: April Hicks and her sons
Cody, 2, and Blake, 5, and Delinda Kelly and her daughter Macey, 12,
all of Lincoln County.

Driscoll, Pigott and others presented the gifts to the two
families.

As her sons clutched gifts, Hicks said she was "very grateful, very
happy, very thankful for all these people doing this."

She said her sons were thrilled. "They're excited. They're wanting to
hurry home and get into all this."

Macey said the generosity reaffirmed her belief in God, especially
considering she doesn't even know most of the drug court members.

"I'm just overwhelmed," she said. "It's truly a blessing. It was
something that I didn't expect, and I know that God took charge and
opened the door."

Drug court members raised so many donations that they also adopted the
family of three drug court participants from each of the participating
counties: Ted Womack of Lincoln County, Jennifer Bennett of Walthall
and Carolyn Sparkman of Pike.

Judge Starrett said credit for the project goes entirely to drug court
participants.

"This is kind of a heartwarming thing, seeing folks who can't hardly
do for themselves helping others," he said. "It humbles the rest of
us."

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Brookhaven, who authored the state drug court
bill, was also on hand.

"This is just one of the wonderful spinoffs that they've actually
taken it upon themselves to reach out and give to someone else," she
said.

"It says a lot for Judge Starrett because he sets the tone. These
folks are learning things that a lot of them haven't gotten anywhere
else in life."

To cap things off, court reporter Gwen Sanders handed out 20 door
prizes ranging from a ham to purses to Gail Pittman ornaments, plus a
box of fruit cakes.

"I just spent my Christmas money here," she said as she distributed
the gifts.