The Grand Old Party

ESRW invites you to join us for an evening of conversation with like-minded people, an opportunity to hear from and meet Republican candidates running for office on a local, county, state, and national level. Great food provided by WaterOak Coastal Catering is included in the price of your admission ticket, and we will have live music as well. A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to The Baldwin County Veterans Court, The Baldwin County Drug Court, and the newly formed, Baldwin County Mental Health Court. Water, tea, and lemonade will be included in the $25 admission ticket. A $35 ticket option is also being offered and includes beer and wine.

The Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) mission is to divert veterans, who meet strict requirements, from the traditional criminal justice system and provide them with tools to lead a productive and law-abiding life. Veterans in the program must attend regular court status conferences, participate in the development of their treatment plans, and engage in community groups as required.

The new Mental Health Court will operate similarly to Baldwin County’s Drug Court and Veterans Court, diverting those who participate in the program from traditional jail sentences for their crimes. Potential participants of the Mental Health Court will be screened by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office and mental health experts from Altapointe to determine their candidacy for the program. Immediately upon the Mental Health Court’s inception, potential candidates for the program had already been identified through the Drug Court system. Predictions are as that many as one to two dozen candidates could benefit from the new court within the first year.

The Baldwin County Drug Court was founded in October of 2007. As many as 66% of the crimes committed in Baldwin County have some relationship to drugs and/or alcohol. The purpose of the drug court program is to promote justice and uniformity of judicial proceedings and decisions within Baldwin County as well as provide cohesive educational and rehabilitative efforts to meet the needs of those with drug and alcohol addiction to reduce future criminal conduct and return people to normal, productive lives.

For years, the biggest mental health care provider in the state of Alabama came from the Department of Corrections and law enforcement. An estimated 120 of the county’s inmate population are dealing with mental health issues and could qualify for the Mental Health Court program.

This new court will be a huge benefit to Baldwin County, and a crucial turning point in rehabilitation services in South Alabama. Not only will the court benefit those who go through the program, but also their victims, the county jail, and law enforcement. Rather than traditional jail sentencing, these offenders suffering from mental health issues will now go through the Mental Health Court program where they will be connected with mental health services to help them lead productive and healthier lives.

To inquire about sponsoring the event, please contact one of the following officers of ESRW: Melinda McGhee at (251)767-9429 or melinda@southernviewmedia.com, Judy Barlow at (251)850-6505 or judygbarlow@gmail.com, Laurie Weber at (251)776-0756 or lauriehweber@gmail.com. Please see the attached for information about the sponsorships available. Checks for sponsorships should be made payable to ESRW. An officer can arrange to pick up your payment or payments can be mailed to Post Office Box 11, Fairhope, AL, 36532.

Sponsorship Form