On May 1st, the Benton County Veterans Court team attended the Columbia Basin Veterans Center “Stand With Us” Gala where Judge Kathren was honored with a very special award recognizing his dedication to justice, steadfast leadership of the Veterans Therapeutic Court, and unwavering compassion and support for the rehabilitation of those who have served our nation.
“I am beyond honored by this unexpected award,” says Judge Kathren who has presided over the Veterans Court since it’s inception in 2019. “We tell our participants that all they need to do is show up, do the work, and be honest. That’s all I try to do. I am surrounded by an incredible team and some unbelievably courageous veterans who are the ones doing the real work. I am truly inspired by them every single week in court. Having the honor of serving veterans alongside my team and the outstanding mentors and volunteers from the Columbia Basin Veterans Center has been the absolute highlight in my career. I am humbled by these men and women, their commitment to service to their country, their community, their families and their own recovery. It is an extreme honor to get to work with veterans every week and I thank each and every one of them for their willingness to literally put their lives on the line in service of others. I am proud to know every one of them and extremely grateful to the CBVC for this honor.”
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On May 7th, Benton County Therapeutic Courts, Franklin County Therapeutic Court, and Grant County Community Court teams met in Moses Lake for a mini retreat hosted by Grant County Community Court with special guest, Ryan Leaf, who went from the #2 NFL draft in 1998 pick behind Peyton Manning to convicted felon. Leaf, who struggled with mental health and substance use disorders is now an advocate for criminal justice reform and mental health awareness uses his lived experience to help communities address stigma and barriers around mental health and substance abuse, how to eliminate them, and how to generate hope. It was a profound and meaningful discussion.