Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
To say Jodi Zickefoose was made for her job as director at Pocahontas County Day Report is an understatement. Not only does she have a degree in sociology and criminology, but she also has a passion for helping people.
“I tell everybody I have an open door,” she said. “If you have a problem, come in. That’s what I’m here for.”
When she first took the Day Report Director position in August 2023, Zickefoose admits she was worried she bit off more than she could chew. Then she attended a state-wide directors meeting and realized there is a network of people out there ready and willing to offer help.
“I also realized that there were a lot of people here in the county willing to help me, as well, and I’m very thankful for their help,” she said.
Day Report is a place for offenders to rehabilitate and not only learn how to kick their addiction, but how to take care of themselves once they finish the program. It is also a place for individuals on bond or parole who are trying to steer clear of crime once and for all.
“We offer several different classes to our participants, which include life skills, addiction-related classes, crime victim awareness classes, anger management, as well as others,” Zickefoose said. “A lot of the participants are also enrolled in adult education to get their GED or are enrolled in college classes.”
They say it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to help an addict recover and get back on their feet.
Although Day Report is for more than individuals with drug charges and a drug addiction, Zickefoose said drugs can be tied to at least 80 percent of the people who are in the Day Report program.
“Sadly, a lot of people don’t have the support they need to overcome their addiction,” she said. “They either come from a family of generational addicts or have the mindset of ‘once an addict, always an addict.’”
Zickefoose is living proof that the adage is not always true. She herself watched a loved one become addicted to prescription drugs and also became addicted.
“The difference was, I didn’t want to live that life anymore and I had that one person who never gave up on me – who stood behind me and pushed me to do better and be a better person,” she said. “I hope that I can be that person for someone else. Even with support, it was hard, and I can honestly say I know my addiction wasn’t close to what others deal with daily.”
Recovery is only part of what Day Report has to offer. Once the participants have drugs out of their systems and are ready to get back to being part of the community, they must learn or relearn basic skills like finding a place to live and pay rent, get a job, pay their bills, cook, clean and more.
“You’ve got to get rid of that old life,” Zickefoose said. “You’ve got to get rid of some of the old friends. I tell them they have to be more responsible because you have to find a place to live, you have to take care of yourself.”
Classes at Day Report that help with this include how to balance a checkbook, learning what to look for in a lease agreement, and cooking.
“We now have a full kitchen so we can offer cooking classes,” Zickefoose said.
One of the hardest parts of the program, to Zickefoose, is overcoming the community’s impression. While participants finally realize “once an addict, always an addict” isn’t true, there are members of the community who still believe it.
“That’s a big stigma in this community, in all communities,” she said. “If they do something wrong, then they’re always going to be that person. So that’s a whole lot of our job here, too.”
This is where the community service part of the program comes in. Giving back to the community and participating in local events is a way for Day Report participants to show that they care about the community and want to be a part of it again.
“I get them out in the community,” Zickefoose said. “They participated in RoadKill. We’re going to do a float for the Christmas parade. Trying to get them out there where people can see that, yeah, they have a past, but they can’t define them by their past.”
Having a passion for the job and the people has helped Zickefoose get through the hard days and there are a lot of hard days. Despite knowing that there will be some who fail and may relapse, Zickefoose stays positive knowing that she has helped as many as she possibly can.
“One of the hardest things I had to overcome when I took this job was the idea that we can’t help everyone,” she said. “Realistically, I know we can’t help everyone and that a lot of people don’t want the help, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to give them that one opportunity to change.
“One important thing that has made my job better is my staff,” she continued. “I have a very supportive and hard-working staff that is willing to go above and beyond to help with anything I ask of them.”
