http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/there’s-no-place-home
There’s No Place Like Home Submitted by admin on Tue, 01/21/2014 - 3:10pm By ANNE DEMPSEY The Shopper NORTH SPRINGFIELD, VT -When Wayne Miller was restocking supplies at CCV’s student lounge in Wilder a few weeks back, he saw a posting for a volunteer coordinator for the Springfield Warming Shelter. The job entailed staying in touch with 40 volunteers, who would staff the warming shelter. Given the number of volunteers, scheduling two people for each six-hour shift (7 p.m.- 1 a.m. & 1 a.m.-7 a.m.) every night couldn’t be that difficult. However, juggling 40 people’s different preferences could be a challenge. Some volunteers wanted to work 2 nights a week, but only during the 7 p.m.-1 a.m. shift. Others could cover the 1 a.m. -7 p.m. shift but only once a month. A few could work more regularly but were planning vacations in the near future. The coordinator’s role included serving as a liaison between the board and the volunteers, recruiting new volunteers and possibly covering some shifts himself. Wayne decided he was up for the challenge and Lucinda Scott, the shelter’s site manager, was glad to have him. Besides working for CCV and the warming shelter, Wayne is employed by CVS in Hanover. He’s also a CCV student working on a degree in Human Services with a certification in substance abuse counseling. On top of all that, he is a new father. You only have to ask him once if he has any pictures of his 6-month-old daughter. Her name is Harper Leigh (Miller), named after the author of To Kill a Mockingbird. It seems as though life is good for Harper Leigh and her parents. Mom works as a full-time nanny and gets to bring her daughter to work with her. Although Wayne is very busy, he’s pleased with the goals he is working towards. Life didn’t always feel as promising to him. Wayne and his family- 4 sisters plus mom and dad- moved to Vermont when he was about ten. They had been living in a rough section of New Britain, CT. His parents decided they needed a fresh start. The kids were leaving behind their apartment, their school, and their friends. Most of their possessions were put in storage. Their car pulled a small trailer full of any essentials that could fit. Wayne remembers being allowed to carry one specific thing with him. He chose a toy from the Wizard of Oz movie. “There’s no place like home” reverberated in his mind. Just like Dorothy’s. Once they arrived in Vermont, his parents spent all day everyday looking for places to work and to live. With no luck in either area, the Millers moved into a shelter in Barre. The family shared one room. There was a common kitchen area. Wayne said the other people there were friendly. It wasn’t really bad there. He didn’t feel scared. It just felt WEIRD. He couldn’t really understand why they left New Britain and ended up in a place that kicked them out every morning. It was a bitterly cold winter, that year. During the day, the family spent time in the grocery store and the library. They went to a soup kitchen for lunch. The search for an apartment took a few months, but it seemed like forever. His parents brought enough money with them from CT to put down a security deposit. Eventually, they settled in to an apartment in White River Junction. “It was a long turbulent ride from then until now,” recalls Wayne. His father had an issue with drugs and eventually moved out. Wayne’s mother was working over 40 hours a week. ”It was the exhaustion of trying to support us on her own, after my father left that lead to her depression.” Meanwhile Wayne was experiencing his first encounters with racism. In his old New Britain neighborhood, everyone looked like him or was Hispanic. In his new White River Junction school, “there was only one other black student. It was pretty scary –completely bizarre and terrifying.” He could not understand why kids were throwing stuff at him. As his mother’s depression deepened, the state became concerned with the welfare of his four sisters. He was the oldest of the siblings. Even still, he wasn’t more than 11 or 12. “Eventually my sisters were taken by the state.” He couldn’t understand why the judge was concerned enough about his sisters, but not about him. He asked the judge why this was. His question was ignored. “After they were taken away, that’s when she stopped coming out of her room.” For quite some time, Wayne took care of himself the best he could. Wayne got involved with drugs and alcohol when he was fifteen. “My growing depression and dependence on drugs and alcohol lead to me dropping out of school. In 2008, I finished my GED and after years of odd jobs and drug abuse, I found my way to CCV in 2011, in search of a new beginning for myself.” He credits CCV for turning his life around. When one of his courses was canceled, he had a limited amount of options to choose from. He chose a substance abuse class. He had not yet decided on a major. The course required students to attend (a) 12 step meeting at Turning Point and then write an essay about it. There, he listened to other people’s stories. He finally felt as if he was with people who he could relate to. He kept coming back. “It changed my life.” He’s been clean and sober for one year and four months. When Wayne was about twenty, he found one of his sisters through her Facebook page. Her foster parents told her she was not allowed on Facebook, but she created her own page anyway. Before too much more time went by, the whole family was back in touch with each other. His father is remarried, clean and sober. “My mother continues to be my biggest champion and major source of support”, he explains. She is much more engaged in life these days. And, he continues, “I’ve been graced with three nieces and two nephews.” He was the last in this Miller family to become a parent. Six months ago, Harper Leigh was born. Wayne tries “to spend as much time as possible with her.” She recently said her first word ever –“Hi”-while at (a) 12 step meeting with her father. "My daughter is the main source of strength in my life now,” he explains. “With all that I am working to achieve, the task can sometimes seem daunting and overwhelming. But when I hold her in my arms, I am reminded of the importance of the future and maintaining my sobriety.” Wayne goes on to say, “I also think it's important to note that recovery is possible. With all the recent news coverage about drug abuse and addiction in Vermont, brought to center stage by our Governor in his last State Address, I think that there is not enough light shed on the point that sobriety and recovery are possible without the use of ‘drug maintenance’ programs. I got myself clean and straightened out my life with nothing more than faith, support, courage and taking life one day at a time.” How could this bright, thoughtful, 26-year-old man not be an inspiration to all of us? - See more at: http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/there’s-no-place-home#sthash.tNdeqYyA.dpuf
Great story.
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