DeWitt County ROSC

04/20/2026

The Power of Resilience: Her Journey Back

For a long time, her life was defined by cycles she didn’t start. She grew up in the shadow of her father’s addiction, learning early on that abandonment was a frequent guest and that stability was a luxury she didn’t have. By 14, she was seeking the "freedom" of her father’s house, only to find herself lost in a world of substances, probation, and trauma that no child should ever carry.

She spent years navigating a landscape of abuse and loss. She survived homelessness during her senior year of high school—graduating against all odds—and endured the devastating physical and emotional toll of an ectopic pregnancy. For a long time, she didn't care what happened to her. She looked for an escape in anything she could find: alcohol, pills, co***ne, and eventually, the grip of m**h and crack.

She hit a point where she was unrecognizable. She lost her health, her weight, her job, and her car. She was a person "hopping around," seemingly too far gone for anyone to reach.

But the cycle stopped with her.

Between 2023 and 2024, she fought through the relapses. She fought through the memory of everyone who thought she wouldn't make it. She chose to stop running from the pain and start walking toward a life she deserved.

Today, she stands here with one year and nine months of sobriety. She is no longer the girl trapped in the back room or the woman lost in the crowd. She is a survivor, a graduate, and a testament to the fact that no matter how far you fall, you are never too far gone to find your way home.

04/17/2026

04/17/2026

04/02/2026

From the Shadows to the Light: Megan Poole

She grew up in the quiet, heavy spaces left by addiction and struggle. Her mother was a warrior of sacrifice, often going hungry so the children could eat, but the home was fractured. Between the loss of her father and the presence of an abusive stepfather, she learned early on to feel like a person who could never do anything right. To quiet the internal noise, she began chasing silence—first through w**d, then Xanax—searching not for a high, but for a moment of peace she had never known.

In her mid-20s, she found a glimmer of hope. She earned her GED and welcomed her first daughter, finding a sense of purpose that felt like solid ground. But then the world turned cold. Her mother, her "safe place" and best friend, was taken by cancer. Grieving a mother while being a mother, she was prescribed Vicodin for physical pain. It didn’t just numb her body; it numbed the grief, the childhood trauma, and the exhaustion.

What began as a prescription spiraled into a six-year battle. Even during a beautiful window of sobriety when her youngest was born, the cycle eventually reclaimed her, leading her into the dark unknown of fentanyl. She was a "functional" addict—working and showing up for her kids—but inside, she was drowning in guilt. She looked at her children and saw the reflection of her own past; she realized that even if their lives looked different, she was still teaching them how to run away.

She decided to stop running.

She endured three days of agonizing home detox, a physical and mental war fought in the four walls of her home. But the hardest battle was yet to come. When she sought medical help, she was reported, and DCFS took her children, splitting them up and removing them from the home she was trying so hard to save.

It was the lowest point of her life, but it became the foundation of her greatest victory.

She refused to break. She followed every rule, stayed sober through the heartbreak, and took the system to trial. She didn’t just survive; she won. A judge ruled her fit, and she brought her family back together.

Today, she has 15 months clean. She is no longer chasing an escape or looking for a way to quiet the noise. She has built a life worth hearing, choosing every single day to be present for the healing, the happiness, and the children who finally have the mother they deserve.

04/02/2026

A Journey of Resilience: Kimberly’s Story

Kimberly grew up in a home where the cycle of neglect was the only teacher she had. Raised in an environment where the party never stopped and the adults were rarely present, she was forced to grow up long before she was ready. By age 16, she struck out on her own while pregnant, determined to escape the life she knew, yet lacking the roadmap needed to navigate the world.

In 2009, her world shattered. After a sudden birth caused by cervical insufficiency, she lost her first son just 46 minutes after he entered the world. The weight of that grief became a catalyst for a fifteen-year spiral into the depths of addiction. What began with co***ne transitioned into years of dependence on pills and fentanyl. While she eventually transitioned to Suboxone and appeared "clean" to the outside world, she remained trapped in a cycle of dependency that kept her from true freedom.

The breaking point arrived in 2023. A relapse on m**h led her into a psychological "world of hell," where she lived in constant fear and eventually faced a terrifying intervention by DCFS. When her second son was removed from her care for three weeks, Kimberly reached a point of total surrender. She begged for a way out, placing her life and her family's future in the hands of a higher power.

In a moment she can only describe as a miracle, she was given a second chance. After months of fighting for her life and her child, Kimberly has emerged on the other side. She is now eight months sober from every substance—including Suboxone. Today, she is breaking the generational chains of her past, finally becoming the guided, present parent she never had, and living a life fueled by genuine hope instead of escape.

04/01/2026

THE POWER OF HOPE

A Recovery Speaker Jam

"Our stories have the power to change lives."

📍 THE DETAILS

DATE: Saturday, May 9th
TIME: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
LOCATION: First Christian Church of Clinton, IL
COST: Free Admission

✨ WHAT TO EXPECT

Back-to-Back Speakers: Hearing stories of recovery and resilience from various community members.
Fellowship & Food: An opportunity to connect with others in the recovery community over a meal.
Resources: Information on local recovery support and behavioral health services.

📞 CONTACT & SUPPORT

Point of Contact: Maggie Memmott
Email:mmemmott@piattmhc.org
Organization: DeWitt County ROSC (Recovery Oriented System of Care)
"We are not a product of our circumstances; we are a product of our decisions."

This event is funded in part by the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery.

04/01/2026

ATTENTION ALL DEWITT COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
(6 - 8th )!!!! Do you like to draw? Do you like having a chance to win gift cards? Would you LOVE to see your artwork on a billboard??? Well, has ROSC got the perfect contest for you! PREVENTION THRU ART!

The Challenge: Create your best artwork showing a prevention message against drugs, alcohol, and/or bullying. Submit your artwork to your middle school office OR Maggie Memmott Email mmemmott@piattmhc.org or send to DeWitt Piatt Bi-County Health Department address 5924 Revere rd, Clinton, IL 61727 by APRIL 21, 2026 (NO LATER THAN APRIL 28, 2026).

If your artwork is selected as the winner, you will win a gift card as well as your artwork will be displayed on a billboard in Clinton, IL the whole month of May!

LET THE CREATING BEGIN!