Page 11 - Robeson Living Spring 2018

affected by parental substance use and child maltreatment. couples at the close of the evening. The overall winning
The Robeson County FTC is a parallel court model. The couple that raises the most money through votes will take
Hon. Stanley Carmical has served as the FTC Judge since home the coveted Mirror-Ball. Voting is open now and
its inception in 2008. Typically, in most parallel courts, votes are 10 dollars. Friday night tickets are available at
there is one Judge who presides over the FTC hearings www.UnitedWayRobeson.org and Saturday night tables
and a different Judge who conducts the dependency court can be purchased over the phone at (910) 739-4249 or in
hearings. Robeson County is unique in that, for the ma- person at the United Way office.
jority of FTC families, Judge Carmical (who is also the
Chief District Court Judge) presides over both the FTC “Families are the heartbeat of this community and it is
and dependency case. As a result, communication between our hope that we could have the opportunity to serve every
the two courts is strong. family in need in Robeson County. We’ve been in opera-
tion for ten years and we’ve seen parents transformed and
When a parent agrees to participate in the program, she families reunited. We are so thankful for every person who
(or he) immediately enters into substance use treatment (if comes forward to support Dancing with the Stars. You are
not already in treatment). Parents must complete the pro- helping to save a vital program in our community and our
gram’s three phases to graduate. Each phase consists of a gratitude cannot be measured.”
set of progress markers established by the FTC team that ~Valerie Comrie,
include treatment engagement, specified periods of sobri- Program Director for the
ety, participation in recovery support meetings, regular Robeson County Family Treatment Court
contact with the FTC Coordinator, and stable employment
and housing. A participant may graduate if they achieve
a minimum of 6 months of negative drug tests, are em-
ployed or in school, have obtained a permanent sponsor
and have secured stable, drug-free housing.

The goals of the Robeson County Family Treatment Court
are to 910-738-4611
• Increase family reunification and positive family rela-
tionships
• Address recovery for substance-involved parents Auto
• Help families overcome trauma-related difficulties
• Create an environment that will allow children to ex-
perience a high-quality atmosphere while helping develop Home
their cognitive, social, and behavioral abilities
Life
“[Family Treatment Court] gave me a sense of belonging.
Because growing up I felt like nobody loved me. My mama Health
was mean to me, so when I got my addiction, I was mean to
my children. It changed me. It gave me a positive outlook Renters
on life. It just, it really did save my life.”
-Robeson County Family Treatment Business
Court Participant

All funding raised through the 5th Dancing with the Robe- CLAY HAMILTON
son County Stars will go to Robeson County’s Family Insurance Agency, Inc.
Treatment Court. Tickets are available for both Friday and
Saturday night and voting is now open open. For Friday, 4904 Fayetteville Rd., Lumberton, NC
March 23rd, tickets are available for 30 dollars each. The Salem Square Professional Park
Friday night show will allow live voting throughout the www.clayhamilton.net
event including voting for Best Costume and Best Danc-
ers. For the Saturday, March 24th show, 8 seat tables are Like a good neighbor,
available for 1000 dollars. This showing includes a gour-
met catered meal with beverages preceding the show, live State Farm is there
voting throughout the event, and the reveal of the winning