Charlotte Wethington has been a resident of Kenton County for more than 37 years.  Charlotte graduated from E.K.U. with a Bachelor’s Degree and from N.K.U. with a Master’s Degree in Education.  She is a former Kenton County teacher and the mom of a 1997 Simon Kenton graduate.  After 27 years of teaching, Charlotte retired in 1998.  For the past seven years, she has been speaking publicly in prisons, churches, schools and at civic organizations all across the state of Kentucky. Her message is about drugs and the disease of addiction.  She speaks from a life experience as a mom, Casey’s mom.

Charlotte is a past co-chair of PAR (People Advocating Recovery) and has served as the Vice-President of N KY PAR, her local chapter.  She is currently Board Secretary and Legislative Chair for the statewide PAR group and Board member of N KY PAR. Charlotte is also President of the Board of Trustees for the Alcoholism Council of the Cincinnati Area, NCADD. 

In seeking help for her own grief journey, Charlotte, with the help of two other moms who had also lost sons, established a grief support group called P.E.A.C.E. (Parents Enduring Addiction Consequences Everyday) which meets monthly.  Initially, the group facilitated by Cancer Family Care has become a peer driven support group.

She initiated “The Matthew Casey Wethington Act for Substance Abuse Intervention”, a law for involuntary treatment, which became effective for the entire state of KY on July 13, 2004.  It allows parents, relatives and/or friends to petition the court for treatment on behalf of someone with a substance use disorder regardless of age and without criminal charges.

Charlotte attended The First Annual Vigil for Lost Promise, remembering those whose lives have been lost to drugs, held in Arlington, VA in June 2006 at the DEA Headquarters. As a result of this vigil, Charlotte was part of a team that worked to establish an organization called Families Changing America.  This is now a national non-profit organization of families impacted by substance abuse standing together to change attitude, perception and policy through education and advocacy.

In January 2005, Charlotte was hired by Transitions, Inc. as Recovery Advocate.  Transitions was one of the substance abuse treatment agencies in the state that applied to operate a Recovery Kentucky Center modeled after The Healing Place in Louisville and the Hope Center in Lexington.  Transitions Grateful Life Center is now located in Erlanger, KY.

Charlotte is a member of the Mental Health and Substance Use Awareness Committee which produces “Feeling Better”, a monthly cable television program. She is a production team member and has hosted the segment called “Lighting the Way” for two years.  This segment was designed to dispel myths and misconceptions about the disease of addiction and related topics.  “Lighting the Way” is intended to be inspirational and informational, providing hope for recovery and knowledge for the journey.

On a national level, Charlotte was asked to be one of six speakers at a luncheon in the Rayburn Building in Washington, D.C.  in 2005.  This luncheon was part of the Recovery Rising Summit presented by Faces and Voices of Recovery.  She traveled to the University of North Carolina in Wilmington in June 2008 to give the opening plenary for the North Carolina Foundation for Alcohol and Drug Studies. 

Charlotte speaks in order to raise awareness about the disease of addiction and inspire others to advocacy.  She hopes to see the day when addiction is treated as a disease without shame, stigma or discrimination.