Family Drug Court Helped Addicted Mother Turn Life Around

Althea Kelly struggled with drug use during her life, but one Franklin County organization helped her turn her life around, 10TV News reported on Monday.

Family Drug Court, a program through the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, helped Kelly clean up and follow her dream of opening a family restaurant, 10TV's Andrea Cambern reported.

For the past nine years, Family Drug Court has worked to give addicted mothers a chance to clean up their lives and regain custody of their children.

"We are helping break the cycle of drug use and (reunite) families," Drug Court Judge Dana Priesse said.

Clients must get treatment, work with social services and attend court twice a month or more to report on their progress.

"Our staff meets with them sometimes as often as weekly to monitor them, support them and keep them on the right track," Drug Court Manager Monica Kagey said.

Kagey said that Kelly was one of their pried pupils.

Helen Kelly said that her daughter broke free of drugs thanks to Family Drug Court.

Unfortunately, Althea Kelly was diagnosed with breast cancer while she was pregnant with her seventh child. She died just after Thanksgiving this year.

"She was going to college," Helen Kelly said. "We were taking up business, because we was trying to make preparations to start the restaurant business."

Helen Kelly said that her daughter had returned to college while she was raising her children and undergoing chemo therapy.

"She told me, she said, 'Mommy, I don't want to die. I want to live and I want to raise my children,'" Helen Kelly said.

Priesse and Kagey said that though Althea Kelly is gone, the work she put in helps encourage them with other women.

"But just that one case, and that time she had that sober, clean time with those kids," Kagey said. "(It) was worth every effort that we put in."

According to Priesse, Family Drug Court helped save taxpayers $373,000 last year.

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