PITTSBURG, Kan. — Family, friends, former participants, and 11th Judicial District representatives filled the John U. Parolo Education Center, Thursday, to celebrate the second-ever graduating class of the district’s recovery court program, proving that “life does not stop at addiction.” 

With three graduates last year, this year’s program recognized five individuals who overcame the odds and excelled, achieving long-term recovery while becoming law-abiding citizens and rebuilding their support systems. 

Introduced in 2024, the 11th Judicial District Recovery Court is a five-phase program designed to help those with non-violent drug problems with the goal of reducing crime/substance abuse, reuniting families, and enhancing community safety. The program is a “court-supervised, comprehensive program” that provides participants with structure, accountability, as well as access to treatment and recovery sources. 

“It starts off slow, and we literally tell them at the beginning we just want you to show up,” said Bryan Dyson, Recovery Court coordinator. “When we ask you a question, don’t lie and put in some effort. It’s that simple. Once they’ve done that for a while, they start to trust that we aren’t there to put them in prison. We are truly here to help them recover. This is what we are here for. 

“Most of them have been let down by other people they thought they could trust, so it takes a long time for our participants to realize that they can trust us. They do at least two UAs a week. They meet with their supervision officers. Most of them have gone through inpatient at least once. We encourage sober living after inpatient, and Oxford House has been huge. So we just eventually layer on support and after a while, they are able to walk across the stage.” 

This year’s class was comprised of Stacey Benedict, Lazarus Hinman, Tammy Holbrook, Dakota Lawrence, and Kaylan Mills. 

The list of accomplishments and achievements for each graduate through the court program included:

• Stacey Benedict: Decision points completion, Moral Reconation Therapy completion, good attendance certificate, positive award, putting skills into practice certificate, multiple kudos cards, 120-day sobriety certificate, and 214 days of sobriety. 
• Lazarus Hinman: Decision points completion, Moral Reconation Therapy completion, one-year sobriety certificate, His Honor’s honorable mention, and 446 days of sobriety. 
• Tammy Holbrook: One-year sobriety certificate, decision points completion, honesty award (x2), consistent attendance award, His Honor’s honorable mention (x2), certificate of courage, and 449 days of sobriety. 
• Dakota Lawrence: 180-day sobriety certificate, decision points completion, Moral Reconation Therapy completion, all-star attendance award, excellence award, Spotlight on Success award, honesty award, Helping Hands award, Partners in Progress award, His Honor’s honorable mention, and 231 days of sobriety. 
• Kaylan Mills: One-year sobriety certificate, decision points completion, Moral Reconation Therapy completion, judgement award, grit award, appreciation award, and 555 days of sobriety. 

Together, the five have achieved a total of 1,895 days of sobriety. 

“I just want to show my gratitude by letting you know how thankful I am to be a part of this recovery court program and (thankful for) everybody on the recovery court team,” said Lawrence during the program. “You have all been the support I needed for a long time. You don’t know how hard it is to ask for help. We just feel so lost and useless in our addiction, and it feels like no one cares.

“... I spent the last 11 years suffering from the disease of addiction and I lost everything. The trust in my family, I lost my children, and, most importantly, I lost myself. As bad as it is, the best thing to happen to me probably was getting caught because who knows where I would be today still suffering from my addiction or even worse. But I was accepted into recovery court, and I didn’t know what to think at first ... They gave me something I didn’t have, they gave me hope. I was done suffering. I didn’t want to be nothing anymore.” 

The other graduates, like Lawrence, shared emotional testimonials, detailing how the recovery court program has reshaped their lives, bringing families back together and creating employment. On top of it all, the graduates qualified for records expungement. 

As part of the program, the event included speeches from 11th Judicial District Community Corrections Director Tracy Harris, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas Legal Services Director Sarah Elnicki, Cherokee County Community Outreach Deputy Rhanda Andrews, and 11th Judicial District Judge Steven Stockard along with many others. 

The graduates received a gift basket during Thursday’s program filled with cards, snacks, and, of course, their graduation certificate. According to Elnicki, the certificate is more than just a piece of paper. 

“It’s amazing what this one little piece of paper truly means,” she said. “It’s showing up to court every two weeks, it’s UAs, it’s making sure you are connect to rehab, it’s checking in, it’s coming in and seeing your treatment providers, your supervision officers. Everything that you have done. You have paid your fines, you have done community service. So this one little piece of paper really encapsulates everything that you all have done.” 

In addition to friends and family, those currently going through the recovery court program attended the program to see firsthand the impact. 

“I think it’s very impactful,” said Dyson. “It shows that there is an end to what they are going through. Every one of our graduates today was in the seats at the last graduation waiting for their day. They were able to see people that they know succeed and that gives them the hope that they will eventually succeed also.”

Holbrook, who also claimed the Jason P. Wiske Community Impact Award, which recognizes those who supported others in their recovery journey, said there is no need to be scared or nervous when it comes to participating in the program.  

“Just don’t be scared or nervous,” she said. “You’ve got to open up, show up, be honest, try, and reach out for help. You have to ask for help. If you don’t ask for help, nobody can read your mind.” 

For more information about the program, visit 190justice.org.

This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews.