PORTLAND, Maine — Two families in Maine received holiday presents from the National Association of Women in Construction to make life a little easier.
The association teamed up with MaineWorks, a company that helps people who have struggled with sobriety and the criminal justice system to get back in the workforce and rebuild their lives.
John Fadden stopped drinking in late 2020, and moved to Maine to get help. Weeks later, he got connected with MaineWorks. That work led to a job with Wright-Ryan Construction, and now to his latest opportunity with Ledgeview Construction. He and his wife, Cassidy, have three children: ages nine, five, and four.
They said they were nervous about how to provide for all of their family over the holidays—until MaineWorks founder Margo Walsh contacted Fadden, telling him they had a surprise for him.
What he and his wife did not know, was that it was a room full of presents, purchased by the Maine chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction.
"I love that this family has no idea," Robin Wood, the past president of NAWIC, said. "It's just heartwarming to know that we can do something to give them a hand up. And it's really special. It brings tears to your eyes, I can tell you."
Fadden credits his ability to stay sober, in part, to his network at MaineWorks.
"It's one of my saving graces," he said. "It's easy to separate someone from drinking. It's not easy to bypass all the rest of the stuff that comes with it. That's the help you get in an environment like this."
"It's great to see people who deserve good things getting good things. That's what we do here," Cecil Solaguren, business manager at MaineWorks, said.
Little did Solaguren know, he was getting a surprise that day, too. NAWIC also gave him and his wife, Jessica, a package of gift cards to take care of their teen boys.
"They say the opposite of addiction is connection and it's like the connection that I've made with the guys like Wes, Margo, Cecil," Fadden said. "My heart is full, like, beyond belief."
Cassidy Fadden also marked one-year sober in November, which she also said was due in part to the community at MaineWorks.