Sep 13, 2016 2 min read

The Observer-Reporter recently ran two stories about recovering drug addicts who have been able to forge new paths in their lives: Troy Moore, a former boxer who served time in prisons in Florida and Pennsylvania; and Rachel Kint, a 2006 Bethlehem-Center High School graduate who cycled in and out of rehabilitation facilities and landed in Washington County Correctional Facility after being convicted of theft and receiving stolen property.

Two different people at different stages of their lives, both of whom have struggled with addiction and both of whom feel confident they turned their lives around.

Another thing they both have in common: Moore and Kint are working, after employers decided to take a chance on them despite their histories.

Kint is working at a restaurant in Southpointe, and she points to a re-entry program being led by Diana Irey Vaughan, a Washington County commissioner, as being crucial in her recovery. The program lasts six weeks and lays the groundwork for success beyond incarceration, with discussions about self-esteem, money and time management, and getting an education. Irey Vaughan explained “we’ve got to break the cycle of breaking the law. If we want (inmates) to change their lives, we’ve got to offer some services to them so they have a chance of success.”

Moore, meanwhile, walked into D&M Painting in Amity and was blunt with them about his problematic history, but pleaded with them to give him a chance. They did, and he is succeeding.

Programs that help addicts get their footing are clearly essential. But, as the stories of Moore and Kint demonstrate, so are programs that can teach recovering addicts skills, and employers with an open-hearted willingness to give them opportunities to prove themselves.