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Recycling helps recovering addicts beat drug habitAugust 22, 2008
Groundbreaking charity, The Maxie Richards Foundation, has turned to furniture reuse in a bid to help people who are in need, as well as finding homes for unwanted sofas and electrical goods. The charity, which is a member of the Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS), will showcase its innovative approach to drug rehabilitation at the CRNS's annual More Than Furniture Conference, to be held in Glasgow on August 27. Dedicated to campaigning for a drug free country, the organisation offers an innovative full recovery programme for addicts, helping them through detox to achieve and maintain a drug-free lifestyle. Set up by Maxie Richards in 1986, the programme sees Maxie invite addicts to live in her Bearsden home during their detox phase. Once completed, the recovering addicts move to the charity's residential facility in Tighnabruaich, Argyll, where they live for one year under supervision. The charity has helped countless addicts beat their addictions since it was set-up. By running a furniture reuse project in conjunction with their rehab programme, recycling plays its part by helping the recovering addicts find a new vocation to help them reintegrate into society. Through the operation of a factory which repairs 'scratch and dent' goods for resale, the charity provides training opportunities in trades such as joinery and carpentry while helping the environment by reducing waste destined for landfill disposal. With the repaired goods then resold through three retail outlets operated by the charity in Glasgow's Dumbarton Road and Maryhill Road, the recovering addict gains the satisfaction of knowing how much profit their work has created, and the proceeds are reinvested back into the charity. Pat Clark, Factory Manager for the Maxie Richards Foundation, said: "Our work to save old furniture destined for the skip provides us with a tool to help save the lives of young people who would otherwise be consigned to society's scrap-heap. "Recycling really does help us save these people's lives, by providing them with training to start again in society and providing a much-needed income to keep the charity in operation. "In the next year, we plan to grow our organisation by taking on more full-time tradesmen to offer more skills training courses to our recovering addicts and repair more broken goods." Maxie Richards has been helping drug addicts across the country for over 20 years. She set up the Maxie Richards Foundation after a period of volunteering in a drug centre opened her eyes to the devastation drugs can cause. Maxie said: "Since 1986, after my own children were old enough to leave home, I have shared my home with addicts looking for help. I aim to provide them with a safe environment and a sense of normality - a place where they can eat at regular times, sleep easy, and help with household chores. "In over 20 years, I have had many success stories. Just over a year ago a mother begged me to help her son after seeing what I do on TV. After completing the programme, he is now a successful landscape gardener with his own three-bedroom flat and his own business." The Maxie Richards Foundation Furniture Reuse Project will showcase its work at the Community Recycling Network for Scotland's (CRNS) More Than Furniture Conference next week. The CRNS is a membership body for community recycling organisations throughout Scotland. It provides information, advice and support to both existing and emerging community recyclers. The CRNS exists to build a stronger community recycling sector in Scotland which can create real social, environmental and economic benefit within our local communities. |
A Glasgow based community recycling project is helping to save lives, as well as the environment, by helping drug users and alcoholics across the UK beat their addictions.
