Lori Graham
Contributing Writer
The ThriftWell thrift store is open for business with a grand opening scheduled for July 29 offering furniture, clothing, accessories, and so much more.
However, ThriftWell also is a non-profit organization providing support to women recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.
Eagles Nest Regeneration was founded by Robbie Maddox which was an idea developed from his own life’s journey and God’s calling. After watching a television show on the process of an eaglet, or newly hatched eagle, learning to fly and survive on its own, he knew he had a name for the program.
“Eagles don’t have instincts; their behaviors are imprinted into them by their parents,” Maddox said. “They have to learn how to be an eagle.”
The organization provides just the place for that growth and learning for an individual recovering from an addiction. The Eagles Nest Regeneration, Inc. was previously housed in Christiansburg but has been operating out of Floyd for the last 12 years. Previously, it was only a men’s drug and alcohol abuse in-residence recovering program lasting approximately 6-8 months long, in which attendees must live in the residences provided for them. Each day, participants will go to classes in the morning and then to a therapeutic worksite. Transformation Painting and Transformation Grounds provides recovering addicts a play to learn new skills.
“It teaches them a new skillset, how to paint and do landscaping. The hope is that when they graduate, they will come out with an employable skillset,” Maranda Parsons, store manager of ThriftWell said.
Parsons has a personal connection to the organization as well. Her husband Brandon Parsons, a graduate of the program, has also worked for the organization for 15 years.
“It’s one thing to ask the Lord to forgive you, it’s another thing to forgive yourself,” Brandon Parsons said in a post on the Eagles Nest Regeneration Facebook page.
The faith-based program has a goal to help others that may struggle with alcohol and drug addiction in a way that lessens the shame and guilt many people often feel going through this process.
“One of the biggest things that addicts deal with is shame and guilt,” Maranda Parsons said. “When they hear others’ stories, they know they are not the only one struggling with this. It gives them hope that it is possible.”
For the last several years, people had been asking for a women’s addiction program. The closing of Amelia’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Cambria, provided an opportunity for Eagles Nest to make something happen.
“We needed a therapeutic worksite and we felt that it should be a thrift store,” Parsons said. “The building owners that purchased the site were willing to lease to us. We welcomed the first women in May.”
They decided to name the women’s program The Well, after the bible story about the Samaritan woman that came to the well and met Jesus.
Much like the men’s program, women in recovery attend classes in the mornings and then work in the thrift store, which recently opened on June 26, with a grand opening scheduled for July 29.
“We will have lots of furniture sets at the grand opening. We do have a catering business as well that they just recently started, so we will have food to purchase,” Parsons said, with Radford University making a large donation of furniture to the non-profit store.
They will also be introducing a color-coded discount system on the 29. Each week will have a specific color-coded discount offering 50% off.
In addition to those working in the store with the recovery program, volunteers as well as hourly staff add to the additional personnel needed to keep up with the work. Eventually the goal would be to transition program graduates to the SLT, or Service Leadership Training program. SLTs are those who have been in the recovery program for one year and can move into leadership opportunities within the organization. This might be the opportunity for men to lead paint crews on the job site, but also work at housing, pulling shifts on the weekends.
There is also on-the-job training positions for those that stay connected with the program for longer. These positions allow for the additional opportunity for recovery graduates to teach classes and become staff members.
Making it even more special for the Parson couple is that they had their first date at Amelia’s. Maranda Parson felt such a strong calling to do this work that she quit her job to be the full-time manager of the store.
“God brought the staff together,” Parsons said.
The ThriftWell store hours are 10 a.m.- 7 p.m., Monday-Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.-.2 p.m. They are closed on Sunday. The ThriftWell store is located at 1130 Cambria Street NE, in Christiansburg. Additional information about the store can be found on the ThriftWell Facebook page.
The Eagles Nest Regeneration, Inc. has a website at www.enrm.org for those interested in finding out more information on alcohol and drug recovery in the New River Valley.
