WILMINGTON – After twice being postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the seventh graduation for the You-Turn Recovery Docket has been scheduled for July 30, with some virus-related changes to be in play, according to Clinton County Common Pleas Court Judge John W. “Tim” Rudduck.
Five participants of the specialized drug docket have completed the rigorous requirements of the minimum 18-month substance use recovery program and will be honored for their accomplishments at 7 p.m. Thursday. The graduation ceremony will occur at the Elevation Community Church, 107 Eagle-Martin Drive, Blanchester.
Graduation will celebrate the recovery of Mark Fannin, Courtney Hillard, Lacy Earley Fannin, Travis Creamer and Robert “Jason” Hollingsworth.
The five new graduates will increase the number to 36 graduates since the docket commenced with four participants in January 2015.
Because of the pandemic, Judge Rudduck said attendance will be limited to approximately 100 people, with preference being given to family and close friends of the graduates and the docket. Because of new state-mandated rules, all those attending must wear a face mask, the judge said.
The program will be streamed live on the church’s YouTube channel at bit.ly/39y5vzi .
Keynote speaker will be Roger Winemiller, whose remarkable story has been reported in the New York Times and the Ohio Emmy-winning Public Broadcasting network documentary “Twenty Seconds of Courage” produced by Channel 16 in Dayton.
You-Turn participants are supervised by the judge as the head of a treatment team which also includes court supervision officers and area substance use treatment providers. The team meets the first and third Friday afternoons of each month before status review hearings for participants that are held en masse in the Clinton County Common Pleas Courtroom at 1:30 p.m. and are open to the public.
Many people from the community regularly attend the status review hearings to lend support to the participants including those from local churches and others battling addiction who want to share their stories and offer encouragement.
To ensure accountability, participants are regularly and randomly tested for substance use, rewarded for meeting goals, and sanctioned for not meeting clearly stated obligations.
For more information on the docket and for a link to the YouTube channel to watch the ceremony, go to www.you-turn-drug-docket.org, follow it on Facebook at You-Turn Recovery Docket, like it on Twitter at You-Turn@UturnDrugDocket, or contact supervision officer Jessica Harrington at 937-382-8686, ext. 1137, or by email at [email protected] .
