The Clark County Drug Court Program hosted its eighth graduation on Thursday, April 24. The graduation is being conducted during National Alcohol Awareness Month.
    In operation since May 2002, the Clark Superior II Drug Court Program is a program for non-violent felony drug offenders who enroll in the Program in lieu of incarceration. Participants who enter the Program proceed through three phases, with each phase increasing in responsibility and accountability. Each participant is required to undergo treatment and counseling as determined by an individual treatment plan. In addition to staying drug free and committing no new crimes, they must improve their education and or job related skills, find employment, secure appropriate housing and become more responsible in their family and their community.
    A Metro United Way agency, Drug Court collaborates with LifeSpring, Bliss House, Serenity, Serenity House, SIABC, Ivy Tech and many other agencies to attack drug problems in the community.
    To date, 97 participants have been enrolled, and three will graduate on April 24. This will bring the total number of graduates to 34. Supervising Judge and Program Founder, Cecile A. Blau, stated, "No program or jail sentence can guarantee an addict will not use drugs again. But the Drug Court Program of Clark County provides the best chance of helping individuals develop the tools to combat the disease of addiction. Addiction is a life long battle and drug court participants develop a set of skills and support groups to meet the challenge. Each day of sobriety for the participation makes this community a safer and better place to live."
    One of the graduates said, "Everyday I would wake up and make a plan to get high. I had no goals, no focus, and no life plan. In hindsight, life was scary for me. By God’s and Drug Court’s Grace, I am not dead or doing life in prison. Since Drug Court, I have been employed at the same job for two years and I graduated from the Office Skills Training at Bridgepointe. Drug Court taught me to be self-sufficient and the concepts of accountability and responsibility."
    Another graduate stated, "Since I entered Drug Court, I don’t drink and drive. I pay taxes and I vote. I have family and friends that care about me, and I care about them. I have a good job with an employer who trusts me with his vehicle, phone, keys and his company name."

     Congressman Baron Hill has announced a grant to make improvements to the Clark Regional Airport.
    The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the Clark Regional Airport a $1,913,000 grant. The money will go primarily toward extending the runway.
    "I am very pleased the Clark Regional Airport has been selected to receive this sizeable and competitive grant," Hill said. "This money will go a long way in making serious improvements to the airport."
    For help with applying for grants, contact Congressman Baron Hill’s Bloomington office, 812-336-3000.

    The Borden Youth Football League is holding sign-ups for the upcoming season for football players and cheerleading for ages kindergarten through the eighth grades. Sign-ups will be held Wednesdays April 30, May 7 and 14 at Borden Community Park. From 6 to 8 p.m.
    Please bring a recent photo and a copy of the child’s birth certificate. Sign-up fees are $40 for cheerleading, all ages, and flag football ages 4-7. Pee Wee tackle is $85 for grades 3-4, but second graders may play on this team and parent and board approval. 
    Junior and senior teams are grades 5-8, and are also $85. 
    Please contact Rick Cannon at 1-502-523-2665 with any questions.

    Students at local high schools have a lot to look forward to in upcoming weeks. Seniors are looking forward to graduation and taking steps down their path in life after high school, underclassmen are just waiting for the opportunity to sleep late during the summer. Many are also waiting to get the best summer jobs around town.
   When students are sitting in the classroom now, with the sun shining brightly outside, many are counting down the minutes until they can go out and enjoy the beautiful weather. Many have also just attended their high school prom and made memories that will last a lifetime.
   In the last several weeks, before the students had their memorable time at prom, students at Jeffersonville, Henryville and Silver Creek High School received a special presentation.
   Upperclassmen at Silver Creek High School filled the Auditorium quickly on Friday afternoon in preparation for a presentation. School Resource Officer John Cortie and Principal Mike Crabtree made sure the students found their seats and were ready for a couple that never thought they would be making presentations to high school students.
   Chris and Kathy Gatz of Jeffersonville spoke to the students about their son, John. They showed the students pictures of John on his 16^th birthday surrounded by his friends. A picture like many of the students probably have in their own scrapbooks. The difference? It was John’s last birthday.
   John was killed on a bright Saturday afternoon on October 14, 2006 by a teenage drunk driver. The accident at 5:30 p.m. changed the lives of many people that day.
   The presentation, "Will my life ever be the same?" brought tears to many eyes and left every student quiet as they watched the screen to see what picture would be next.
   Pictures of John being a high school kid- A picture of John and his family at Christmas, a picture of John during a production of CATS at Providence, where he was a student, a video of John participating in a swim meet at Seymour and even the last picture John took, a picture of the view from the Knobs. The picture was taken at 5:18 p.m., just 12 minutes before he died.
   After the students see a glimpse of the kind of guy John was, a horrific picture appeared. A picture of the accident, a picture of what was left of John’s vehicle.
   Of course, the couple making the presentation, John’s parents, just want to capture the attention of the students they are speaking to.
   "Our hope today is to help send the message to teens, young adults and adults that the decisions they make not only affect them, but the victim’s families and community as well," Chris stated during the opening of the presentation.
   Kathy even discussed the passenger, Sarah, in the car with John on that fateful day.
   "...Sarah is fine. Luckily she came out of the accident fine. But do you think Sarah’s life will ever be the same? She lost a good friend that day. When Sarah got out of the hospital on Monday morning, the one thing she talked about was seeing John. She knew he was dead. We could not tell Sarah whether she would be able to see John or not. We were not even sure if we were going to be able to see John. You saw John’s car, we were very afraid of what John was going to look like after the horrific wreck," Kathy explained during the presentation.
   The inevitable question, "Will my life ever be the same?" was asked by the Gatz’s on several occasions to the students. If a student made a bad decision would their life ever be the same?, Would their parents life ever be the same?
   Kathy answered the question at the end of the presentation.
   "Our lives will never be the same. We now have an empty bedroom in our house. We now have an empty backpack with my son’s initials that no longer gets filled up with books to go to school. We get college brochures for our son John, who no longer exists. Our lives will never be the same," Kathy stated.
   She concluded by asking the students to make good decisions.
   "So, as you make decisions, make great choices. Make choices that will change in a positive direction." Kathy concluded with her part of the presentation.
   Chris concluded with a short explanation about the choice to donate your organs. John had chosen to donate his organs when Kathy had taken him to get his drivers license.
   The Gatz’s know that John’s corneas went to a 23-year old Amish brick layer in northern Indiana and to an 11-year old boy in Mitchell. They also know that the valves from John’s heart were also used.
   After the day that changed the Gatz’s lives forever, the couple wanted something positive to come from the tragedy.
   They have set up two scholarships in John’s honor and memory through the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana.
   The first scholarship is set up for a senior at Providence while the other is for a senior who resides in Clark or Floyd County.
   Why did the Gatz’s choose Clark or Floyd County for the second scholarship?
   Chris explained, "We added Floyd County, because the afternoon of John’s wreck, a group of Floyd County students, a young man and two young ladies were behind Sarah and John. After the accident the young man held John’s hand until help came."
   The Gatz’s were brought to the school with the coordinating efforts of Pat McCollum, a representative of the local Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Chapter and Silver Creek’s School Resource Officer from the Sellersburg Police Department, John Cortie.
   "I felt it was important to get Chris and Kathy into the school to let them tell their story. Their story hits close to home for these kids. These kids are the same age as John was. The pictures tell the story," McCollum stated. "I am very grateful to Chris and Kathy for being brave enough to be able to tell their story as their hearts are still healing from their loss. I think the presentation went great. The students were very receptive to what Chris and Kathy had to say."
   Cortie agreed with McCollum.
   "I think overall it went really well. I think the presentation hit close to home. Many of the students are familiar with the Gatz’s and some were even possibly friends with John. I think it had a good impact on the students," Cortie stated. "The prom was a success and the After Prom went well. I used the Fatal Vision goggles and they had a good time with that."
   The Gatz’s also presented their story to the students at Henryville High School. The presentation at Henryville was held on Monday, April 7. Clark County Sheriff Officer and Henryville Schools Resource Officer Joe Waters was pleased with the presentation.
   "I had a lot of students come up to me after the presentation and told me they really enjoyed it. They said it was the best presentation they had ever seen," Waters stated. "I think the presentation really hit home for the students and made them think. The movie MADD showed made the kids relate to how their mothers or brothers, if put in that situation, might think. The presentation hit the kids a lot harder than even the mock crash did. It worked out perfect."
   After their presentation, the Gatz’s were quick to answer why they felt it was important to make this presentation to the local high school students.
   "To make a positive affect. If we just affect one kid, it’s a positive. If this stops one kid from making a bad decision, it’s a positive," Kathy stated. "We do not want another family to have to go through what we have."