OXFORD HILLS — Recently 11 “angels” received their wings and are ready to take flight.

Last month, these angels, or recovery coaches, became certified through Maine Alliance for Addiction Recovery (MAAR) to participate in the western Maine-based Project SaveME.

MAAR Coordinator Darren Ripley ran the 30-hour training over two weekends in January and said the recovery coaches will assist people battling addiction.

“They learn about the pathways to recovery, boundaries, self care,” he said, adding the participants not only hailed from the Oxford Hills, but the River Valley as well. “They’ve given up their time to come there and it is really a heartfelt group in the Norway area. …. They really want to do something for the folks in their area.”

Project SaveME has developed out of the Western Maine Addiction Task Force, spearheaded by Paris Interim Police Chief Jeff Lange. He and Ripley said Project SaveME is modeled after the Angel Program started by the Gloucester Police Department in Massachusetts.

People struggling with substance abuse – though drug traffickers are excluded – can walk into a police station, hand over their drugs and/or paraphernalia and be partnered with an angel to help them navigate through their recovery.

“They were very dedicated to the training and to the cause to be recovery coaches. We’re going to utilize [them] county-wide,” Lange said. He noted all area law enforcement agencies will have a list of the angels, what area they’re living in and contact information. “I just want to thank all of them for putting the time and effort into such an important program.”

Retired nurse Kate Shaughnessy was one of the 11 who went through the program and has been involved with the task force before signing up to become an angel.

“You came in, it was people from all walks of life – that was so awesome. When we left, there was a common goal for everybody,” she said. “The thing about this whole process was how pandemic the addiction is right now. We’re all affected by it whether it’s family, friends.”

Shaughnessy lost her brother to addiction, which is one of the reasons she wanted to get involved, coupled with her care-giving nature.

Another angel, Jessica Dufour, is knee deep in the movement, as she has three years of recovery under her belt. She and Shaughnessy said there’s a misconception that recovery coaches are therapists or counselors.

“We’re their cheerleaders. We’re there to empower them. We’re going to help fill in the gaps where they don’t know there’s resources for them,” Dufour said. She added she learned a lot through Ripley’s training and recovery coaches make things less overwhelming for the people they’re helping.

“There are a multitude of pathways to recovery,” she said. “I have all these resources we can through, talk with you, help you decide what you’re most comfortable with. If something doesn’t work, let’s move onto something else.”

Dufour knows it’s hard to find recovery and stick with it. She used almost every drug under the sun, but was mostly dependent on heroin and crack cocaine. She tried a 12-step program, detoxing on her own, detoxing at medical facilities and therapy.

She said she was lucky to have her family to support her through her long recovery process. She isn’t sure why being sober stuck this time and does not necessarily want to know why.

“I look back at those days, [I wondered,] how was I living? I wasn’t living, it was almost animalistic survival,” Dufour said. “I know from personal experience it’s not always easy to find the help when you want it. That moment of wanting help kind of ebbs and flows.”

She uses herself as an example of how people fighting substance abuse can turn their lives around. Dufour was able to get custody of her child back. Now she’s a stay-at-home mom who also cares for her stepchildren and her family’s animals.

“You have to trust the process. It’s not going to happen overnight. I sometimes have to tell myself that,” she said about the road to recovery. “I want to do whatever I can to help at least one person. That is all I would hope to do – find something that lights that spark in them.”

Lange said two people have come to the police station to enroll in Project SaveME and be paired with an angel. He said Paris Police have also received about a dozen calls for people seeking help with their addiction.

“We’ve had multiple calls but … they’re just not getting to the point of making that commitment yet,” Lange said, putting the emphasis on the word “yet.” “It’s a process but we’re getting through it. At least they know that we’re here and we’re willing to help.”

Others have signed up through counseling services. Jennifer Small, of Common Ground Counseling, said she’s had three people enroll in Project SaveME, which was a result of the individuals attending task force meetings. She said organizers need to do a better job of marketing the program and they’re having business cards printed so officers can hand them out.

“Now we need to get the word out there that we have … these recovery coaches so people can utilize them,” Small said.

Another off shoot from the effort is when C.N. Brown teamed up with the task force in October 2015 to offer people in recovery employment with the Paris-based company. Thus far, two people have been hired, according to Katrina Waite, the retail sales division manager for C.N. Brown. These individuals went through a screening process through Common Ground Counseling and paired with the company after.

“They have to have been straight for more than six months [and have] no trafficking violations or violent crime [charges],” Waite said. “They worked out very well. We’re glad that we were able to hire them and [are] proud of their accomplishments.”

For more information on Project SaveME, call Lange at the Paris Police Department at 743-7448, email him at [email protected] or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ProjectSaveME/timeline.

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