March Against Drugs & Violence brings hope and encouragement to Billings

The March Against Drugs & Violence involves a walk through part of downtown Billings.

It started small and is now in its 25 ^th year.

The founder of the event says that part of the success comes from a speaker with a message of hope and encouragement.

The march always provides inspiration from someone who has overcome drug addiction.

“A miracle,” said Mina Crenshaw. “I am very blessed in that way. I feel like I'm finally, just even in this moment, coming into my purpose for my life.”

In August, Crenshaw will be two years into her recovery,

She will tell her story on Saturday on the Yellowstone County courthouse lawn.

“It doesn't matter if you've been to prison nine times, it doesn't matter if you've been to treatment 15 times,” Crenshaw said. “As long as you are alive, you can still have this thing and a lot of your rewards come from telling people that and hopefully that helps.”

Mike Yakawich, the founder of the march, says speakers such as Mina do help with their messages of hope for everyone.

“We have people coming who have never been involved in substance abuse,” Yakawich said. “And that's awesome because we want to encourage them that this is the right road. Don't get involved in substance abuse.”

Mina says her addiction started when she was 13.

After years of problems, she made another mistake.

“I accidentally hit somebody with my car,” she said. “And that was an eye opener that showed me that this is starting to really affect people that don't deserve to be hurt.”

And because she already had several felonies on her record, she says she faced the possibility of 30 more years in prison.

“They said the only way that you have any chance of sitting in the community is if you are accepted into STAR Drug Court,” Mina said. “And they said, but you really don't have a very good chance. And I said, well, what's impossible with man is possible with God.”

And she just graduated in May from Sobriety Treatment Accountability Recovery (STAR) drug court .

Yakawich says he measures the success of the event by what hears from the community.

“It's the community who is saying to me, we’ve got to keep it going,” Yakawich said. And not only they're saying that, they're pitching in. They're donating and they're supporting the event. And so 25 years later, I'm so encouraged by the outpouring. It used to be my event. Now it's our event.”

And Crenshaw also knows the accomplishments in her life with the renewed relations with some of her five children and other family.

“The best apology is changed behavior,” Crenshaw said. “I don't wish to shut the door in my past. It's my best asset to the future."