Cleaning up lives and the coast

Michael Wheatley was 19 years old in 1986 when he got mixed up with the wrong crowd and began using crack cocaine.

Soon his life went downhill, and he took up several odd jobs just to earn some money for his next “fix,” he said on Friday, looking over nearly a dozen bags of garbage he had helped collect in Road Town.

Mr. Wheatley, now a client of the Sandy Lane Centre, turned his life around 10 years ago, and he hasn’t used crack cocaine since, he said.

Dressed in a green camouflage vest, black pants, and a pair of black shades, the 47-year-old joined several other SLC clients as they cleaned the coastline along Waterfront Drive.

Several years ago, the alcohol and drug treatment agency decided to clean Waterfront Drive at least once a month, according to SLC addiction counsellor Sharon Leonard.

The cleanup is part of clients’ therapy, Ms. Leonard said.

“As we help them to transition back into the community, we also want them to feel a part of it and volunteer their time and give back to the community,” she said.

See the March 6, 2014 edition for full coverage.

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