Thursday evening, Circuit Judge Lex Short, District Attorney Walt Merrell and the staff of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Drug Court partnered with Brother Bill Montgomery and ladies of the First Baptist Church of Andalusia for a Drug Court Thanksgiving Dinner.
The event was hosted as a way to celebrate the hard work and achievements of the Drug Court clients as they navigate through the Drug Court Program.

“Being a Drug Court client is no walk in the park,” said Sabrina Cobb, Drug Court coordinator. “These clients hold down full-time jobs, attend weekly classes, show up for random screenings, attend court and tend to their families, all while overcoming the mountain called addiction.”
The night was special for the clients, as their families and the families of the Drug Court staff joined them.

“We wanted to show these folks how much we appreciate their hard work. Thanksgiving is the perfect season to show appreciation. We see them striving to better themselves and their families, and this dinner was a great way to highlight their dedication,” said Circuit Judge Lex Short, who presides over Drug Court.
The Drug Court staff and clients spend time together in the courtroom and during office hours, but this event was a way for everyone to get to know each other on a more personal level. District Attorney Walt Merrell said, “We all wore name tags. My name tag said ‘Walt’. The judge’s said ‘Lex’, and so on. We did that intentionally and we planned this dinner as a way for us to serve our clients. We wanted them to understand that we are all just people, and that the only difference between us and them is one or two decisions we made along the road of life.”

Montgomery continued the tone of encouragement and thankfulness as he spoke to the crowd, and the staff, clients and their families enjoyed a great evening of fellowship.

Merrell said, “We all brought our families. This was by design as well. We truly are a community and we are all in this together.”
The Drug Court staff extends its thanks to the ladies of First Baptist Church of Andalusia and the host of other volunteers for their gracious hospitality and for preparing and serving the delicious meal.