Participants in phases I, II, and III of the Washita-Custer County Treatment Court Program gathered on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 21 to clean up litter on their Adopt-A-Highway section of Hwy 183 for the Great American Cleanup project.
Great American Cleanup is a national project coordinated through Keep Oklahoma Beautiful and in partnership with ODOT.
27 people volunteered to clean up a nearly 2-mile-long section of Hwy 183 on the Washita and Custer County line. Participants collected 56 bags of trash.
Additionally, 2 large bags of cans were collected for recycling. The work done over this two hour time span is estimated to be worth approximately $540 dollars.
Clean-up projects are one of many ways participants in this program give back to their communities. Washita-Custer County Treatment Court participants routinely perform four hours of volunteer work a week as a requirement of participating in the two-year Treatment Court program.
Washita-Custer County Treatment Court is a five-phase program designed to divert non-violent felony-level offenders who have a substance use disorder into a structured, community-based supervision program. In lieu of prison, these participants choose to participate in the Treatment Court program. Each participant must appear at court on a regular basis, attend treatment on a regular basis, check in daily, submit to random urinalysis, pay court fines and fees, find employment, perform volunteer work, and attend self-help meetings. Participants in this program are able to be at home each day, parenting their children, working, paying for treatment and court fees, and paying their taxes. Washita-Custer County Treatment Court keeps families together and gives back to Washita and Custer county communities regularly.