By Matthew Estes, Communications Director
Fort Payne, Ala. – It’s not easy to change your nature, but through intense training and a lot of hard work, Melody Marr, now 51, overcame her bad habits and discovered how to live outside the boundaries of substance use and incarceration. Melody was part of the first graduating class for the Fort Payne Day Reporting Center Lite.
Except for a brief period of sobriety, Melody struggled with drug use through most of her adult life. While praying, she felt a sense of conviction and had the opportunity to turn herself in. She spent nine months in the Marshall County jail before spending three weeks in Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women until obtaining parole.
While at Tutwiler, she was offered drugs immediately upon arrival. She declined, which began a string of good decisions turning her into the accomplished woman she is today.
A friend was able to provide a drug-free environment for her to live in after her return from prison. That’s when she met the officers and support staff at the Fort Payne Day Reporting Center Lite. “When I started this program, everything I owned [could fit] in four Walmart bags.”
At first it was intense, but quickly she was able to adapt to the fast-paced programming. She was a quick study, finding immediate success in the program and finishing the moral reconation therapy programs offered by the DRC Lite program quicker than most. Melody is thankful for the efforts of the Fort Payne DRC Lite staff members, and believes they pour their heart and soul into the program. She particularly appreciates their sincerity, as they do not mince words in identifying problems before offering practical solutions. “Nothing has worked like what these guys are doing. Without them, I don’t know where I’ll be.”
Social Services Caseworker Christopher Huff said she was able to come in and hit the ground running. “We try to trace it back to where it first began. Most people get so caught in the whirlwind it’s hard for them to see.”
Fort Payne DRC Lite Administrator Brandon J. Thompson said, “it’s comforting to see a female be able to succeed in whichever world she wants to.” He was initially concerned she wasn’t going to make it due to a background mirroring many who struggle with cyclical drug use, but was impressed at how she seized every opportunity given to her. “She is proof you get out of the program what you put into the program.”
Perhaps her greatest strength is her ability to work hard every day, and she really took to the technical programs being offered. “I’ve always been a hard worker in spite of my weaknesses and my drug use.” She started taking the Heavy Equipment Operator program at Northeast Alabama Community College. Administrator Thompson was contacted by the instructor several times about Melody’s initiative. Getting noticed by the owner of a company, she was able to secure a quality job with a commercial construction company in nearby Scottsboro, where she’s been working for more than a year.
In addition, Melody has a passion for driving farming equipment and other heavy machinery as a side-gig, and “[couldn’t] wait to get on that John Deere” later in the day. She values hands-on experience, and through her hard work can comfortably afford to live in a rural home by herself and pay for whatever she needs. “I’ve got more work than I can even do, but I’ve got drive now.”
Melody encourages other participants of the program to be honest with themselves: “For once in my life, I really feel like I know who I am and what God’s purpose is for me.” It’s important for participants to discover where the problems start and track their life from the point of substance use to the present. Afterward, participants can determine the best ways to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. The main piece of advice she has for participants: “don’t give up.”
She was soon able to reach out and mentor others, touring halfway houses and speaking to those who needed her insights. “I have a sense of normalcy I’ve never had, even during my times of sobriety in the past.”
Melody likes to give her testimony with individuals in jail, and she has been invited to speak at churches and rehab facilities. She has a down-to-earth, conversational tone resonating with audiences looking to improve their lives. She credits God for the opportunities she has to witness to others through her life circumstances and is grateful to be the person she is today. She plans to keep working hard – to keep digging – to build an even better life for herself and those around her.
