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Kentucky Court of Justice
Harrison County Drug Court to collect aluminum can tabs May 3-9 for Ronald McDonald House
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- In celebration of National Drug Court Month, Harrison County Drug Court will be collecting tabs from aluminum cans, such as soft-drink cans, Saturday, May 3, through Friday, May 9, and donating the proceeds from recycling the tabs to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass in Lexington.
Citizens may donate their tabs by dropping them in the blue, plastic barrel that will be located on the front lawn of the Harrison County Courthouse starting Saturday. The aluminum tabs will be weighed Saturday, May 12, at the Ronald McDonald House.
Ronald McDonald House owns and operates a home away from home for children and their families who come to Lexington for medical treatment and supports health-related programs and projects for Kentucky’s children.
Harrison County’s Drug Court program is one of many across Kentucky that are collecting the aluminum tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in celebration of National Drug Court Month in May. The theme of this National Drug Court Month is “Taking Drug Courts to Scale: Healthy Families Healing Communities,” with one of the goals being to promote the expansion of drug court programs nationwide to reach the millions of drug-addicted citizens in need of treatment. Drug Court programs throughout the commonwealth have planned activities like the tab collection during the month to benefit communities and raise awareness about the importance of Drug Court.
“Harrison County Drug Court and Drug Court programs all over Kentucky are helping participants heal and turn their lives around,” said Annette Lovins, Harrison County Drug Court program supervisor. “During National Drug Court Month, the participants will be working to make a positive difference in the lives of other people, like the children and families who visit the Ronald McDonald House. The participants also gain from projects like these. Knowing that you have helped others in need offers a natural high, and we are hopeful that our participants will carry that feeling with them after they graduate from Drug Court and continue to seek it through serving their communities.”
Harrison County Drug Court is also collecting other items for the Ronald McDonald House, including food, hygiene items and gasoline gift cards. For more information, contact Lovins at 859-234-3520.
Drug Court programs in Kentucky have a goal of collecting 6,000 pounds in aluminum can tabs this year for the Ronald McDonald House in Lexington. Last year, the programs donated approximately 3,542 pounds in tabs, for which the charity got more than $2,000 after recycling.
The two Drug Court programs that donate the most tabs will each receive a $100 gift card to McDonald’s. The winning Drug Court teams will decide how to use the gift cards, such as for an ice cream social for their participants. The Drug Court program that collects the most tabs will also gain possession of a traveling winner’s plaque for a year, until the next tab-collection event.
Kentucky Drug Court
Drug Court is proving to be a positive solution to a serious social problem. The success of Drug Court can be measured in the number of lives changed and the cost savings to Kentucky taxpayers. The program has had a significant impact on reducing rearrest, reconviction and reincarceration rates. The program has resulted in increased payment of delinquent child support and improved employment rates. For every $1 spent on Drug Court graduates, the state saves $2.72 on what it would have spent on incarcerating these individuals.
The mission is to provide a court-supervised treatment alternative that stops illicit drug use and related criminal activity and promotes a positive life change through substance abuse education and treatment.
How Drug Court Works
Drug Court coordinates the efforts of the judiciary, prosecution, defense bar, probation, law enforcement, mental health, social services and treatment communities to actively intervene and break the cycle of substance abuse, addiction and crime.
The program consists of three phases and aftercare and lasts at least 18 months for felony participants. Drug Court staff and participants work together to develop individual program plans with specific responsibilities and goals with timetables. Plans include group, family and individual counseling; frequent and random urine testing; education and vocational training; scheduled payments of restitution, child support and court fees; and health and community activities. Participants report directly to their Drug Court judge, who rewards progress and sanctions noncompliance.
When participants successfully complete the program, charges may be dismissed through diversion, or conditional discharge may be granted through probation. Judges who participate in Drug Court volunteer their time to the program, and much of the program’s funding comes from federal grants and state matching funds approved through the Kentucky General Assembly.
Kentucky Drug Court is administered through the Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort. The AOC is the operational arm of the Kentucky Court of Justice and supports the activities of more than 4,000 court system employees, including the elected offices of justices, judges and circuit court clerks.
For more information about Drug Court, visit http://courts.ky.gov/stateprograms/drugcourt/.
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