Success Stories
Learning From Her Hero
Samika Pickens did not have a drug problem when she came into Project Rehab in 1993. Neither did her two older brothers. The three children joined their mother in Project Rehab’s FARP, Project Rehab’s Family Adult Recovery Program. Samika says, “it helped my mom get back into her role as mother.” As a 13-year-old in FARP, Samika’s day consisted of family counseling or going to the morning meetings, where she would sometimes participate by saying, “I feel good because...” She had breakfast in the cafeteria and then it was off to school. She participated in FARP activities like bowling or car washes and later would have dinner with her family. Her extended family consisted of thirty watchful adult eyes. “If I stepped out of line,” she says, “mom found out fast.” While she was in the program with her family, Samika learned that, “My actions are not someone else’s responsibility.” Today Samika wants to work in the criminal justice system with adolescents. The greatest thing to come out of Project Rehab is unfolding for her every day. Samika says, “My mom was like a caterpillar before Bullock House, and then she became a cocoon, now she is a beautiful butterfly. I love you mom, I am proud of you, you are my hero, my rock.”
Samicka’s story appears in 40 Stories of Courage and Hope: Celebrating 40 Years of Project Rehab, which was published in Fall 2008 in recognition of Project Rehab’s 40th anniversary. Click here to read more stories about our courageous clients and the treatment pioneers who helped make recovery possible.
This story is sponsored by Carol Kooistra in memory of "Dr. Bill", cofounder of Project Rehab