Pictured left to right are Rocky Top Police Chief Jim Shetterly, Mayor Michael Lovely, Stephanie Strutner of ASAP, and City Manager Michael Foster. Rocky Top City officials presented a $500 check to ASAP of Anderson County to support the Family Drug Treatment Court. (Submitted photo)
At the Rocky Top City Council meeting last week, Mayor Michael Lovely, Police Chief Jim Shetterly, and City Manager Michael Foster presented a check for $500 to Stephanie Strutner, executive director of Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County Inc., to support the Family Drug Treatment Court of Anderson County.
“The Family Drug Treatment Court has been under development for a number of years based on best practices from effective programs from across the country,” Strutner said. The program is geared toward rehabilitating not only adolescents through the Juvenile Court system, but their family unit as well, a press release said.
“This program offers the possibility to break the generational cycle of substance abuse many of our juvenile offenders experience,” Juvenile Court Judge Brian Hunt said. “It also offers hope—hope that these adolescents can stay out of jail as adults and become contributing members of their community.”
The Family Drug Treatment Court was first funded in part by the United Way of Anderson County. The recent gift from the City of Rocky Top brings the needed funding to 50 percent, the press release said.
“ASAP is committed to finding a way to bridge the funding gap to make this essential program happen,” Strutner said.
“This gift is a great opportunity for our city to show support for our children,” Shetterly said. “We believe it will help provide them a new path.”
For more information about or to make a donation to the Family Drug Treatment Court of Anderson County, visit www.ASAPofAnderson.org or call (865) 457-3007.
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