Three Manchester women graduate from VOA Family Recovery Court

On November 1, 29-year-old Cassandra Moore, 31-year-old Kelley Sams and 36-year-old Bridget Smith achieved a milestone in their recovery journey and graduated from Volunteers of America Mid-States’ (VOA) Family Recovery Court (FRC).

FRC is one of VOA’s recovery programs that works with families who struggle with substance use disorder and are involved in the child welfare system. The immediate goal of the program is sobriety and the long-term goal is family reunification.

While in the program, Cassandra, Kelley and Bridget worked with VOA staff, the Department for Community Based Services and Family Court Judge Clint Harris to set goals and learn skills to achieve a successful life in recovery and take steps to regain custody of their children.

Six months into the program, Bridget regained custody of her 11-year-old son, Nick, and after joining the program in July 2022, Cassandra is making progress toward regaining custody of her four children. Kelley has custody of her one-year-old son, Kadence, and is actively creating a stable, healthy life for herself and her baby.

Through the FRC program, Kelley and Cassandra discovered their passion, helping other women overcome substance use disorder. Kelley will begin working for VOA’s FRC program as a Peer Mentor, guiding other families through their recovery journey. And Cassandra is working for another VOA Recovery program, Freedom House, which works to support pregnant and parenting women overcoming substance use disorder.

All three women are members of VOA’s Recovery Community Center (RCC) in Manchester – a safe and supportive place that provides education, support and socialization for those in recovery and their family and friends.

By participating in VOA’s recovery programs, Cassandra, Kelley and Bridget received the support they needed to learn the root cause of their substance use disorder, overcome their addiction and build a strong support system to help them maintain their sobriety and create a healthy, hopeful life for themselves and their families.

To learn more about VOA’s FRC, RCC and other recovery programs, visit https://www.voamid.org/services/substance-use-recovery/.