Richard Barnes has a knack for bringing kids to tears.
As a guest speaker last week, the recovering addict spoke candidly to middle school students across Haverhill about his life addicted to alcohol and drugs and pleaded with them to avoid taking the same destructive path.
The power of his talk triggered such strong emotional reactions that some students had to walk out, while others quietly wiped away their tears. Following several of the talks, some children walked up to him and thanked him.
“Rich has a very good story to tell and is probably one of the best speakers I’ve seen who is able to get through to kids,” said School Committee President Scott Wood, who sought donations from the business community to pay for Barnes to visit the schools. “He also gives kids his email and phone number and tells them they can call him any time.”
In response to the concern regarding drug use and addiction that is well documented in Haverhill, as well as cities and towns throughout the state, the Haverhill public schools health and nursing departments have responded with increased programming to educate young people about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.
Officials said they are aggressively delivering the message through speakers, discussions in health education classes, and through the School Department’s new addiction and recovery counselor, Laura Mayer, a licensed independent clinical social worker.
Also last week, two former street criminals from Lawrence spoke to Haverhill High School’s at-risk students about the dangers of gangs and drugs. Antonio Santiago and Jose Duran, who together make up the recently formed organization The TEAM (Teach, Educate And Motivate), a group they founded to educate area students through sharing their experiences, received strong feedback from the 120 or so students in attendance, an encouraging sign for teachers and administrators trying to prevent kids from engaging in criminal activities.
Wood, who led the push for the drug counselor position, said he planned to bring Barnes to Haverhill after learning about his program. Wood received financial support from Haverhill Bank, Whittier Health Network, Pentucket Bank and Early Construction Company to hire Barnes, a recovering addict who brought his program “Richful Thinking” to Haverhill’s middle schools. Barnes spoke to students at the Consentino and Hunking middle schools last Thursday and at Whittier and Nettle middle schools on Friday.
“He spoke to our youth about the poor choices he made that resulted in a 29-year history of alcohol abuse and 21-year history of drug abuse,” said Wood, who sat in on Barnes’ talk last week at Nettle.
Barnes, who works full time as a senior home loan officer, spoke candidly about the choices he made in his youth and described his spiraling decline that led him to the point of no longer wanting to live.
He told students he has been clean and sober for eight years and that by telling his story, he continues to heal.
During his talks, Barnes pleads with youngsters to guard ferociously against taking the next drink or drug.
Barnes spoke to more than 200 Nettle students who packed the school gym for his 90-minute talk, followed by a question-and-answer session.
Barnes told kids that his alcohol addiction began at age 10 and lasted 28 years. He said his cocaine addiction began at age 17 and lasted 21 years. He is 47 now and in his ninth year of recovery. Barnes lives in Bridgewater with his wife and two daughters.
During the question-and-answer session, one student asked Barnes if his parents talked to him about drugs and alcohol when he was a kid. Barnes told the student that his parents “rarely talked to him about anything.”
“I told kids that I strongly encourage parents today to speak to their children about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and to warn them about experimentation,” Barnes said. “That experimentation can lead to many years lost due to addiction, which is what happened to me.”
Barnes said as many as 10 students came up to him after his talks and told them he made an impact on their lives.
“One student thanked me for coming to her school,” Barnes said.
Barnes said that at one point in one of the talks, he looked into the faces of four or five students who were crying.
“It told me that I probably hit a nerve about something they experienced in their own lives or the lives of someone close to them,” Barnes said. “My talk is for that one kid who needs it, and I feel that I reached my purpose in life, which is to help kids avoid the same path that I was on.”
Hunking Principal Jared Fulgoni said he was impressed with Barnes talk and that Barnes presented a “gritty reality” that seemed to capture the attention of students.
“He spoke to kids in a way they could see a possibility in their lives that this could happen to them,” Fulgoni said. “And he talked to them about the decisions he was making at their age and the consequences that led him on a particular path in life.”
Fulgoni said four students became visibly upset during one of Barnes’ talks, to the point where two of them had to leave the room.
“The scary part is that drugs are so prevalent and so many communities are struggling with the impact of opiate addiction,” Fulgoni said. “I’m not surprised to see such a visceral effect on kids as it is hitting home in their day-to-day lives.”
“I think we were able to reach a large number of kids,” Wood said. “One student who came up to Barnes after his talk told him that she’d already overdosed on drugs and that she’s been getting help.”
Wood said Barnes offered to help the girl in any way he could.
“I can definitely say he had a strong impact on several students who came up to him and spoke to him privately,” Wood said.
Wood said Barnes’ story seemed to resonate with students because he came across as a regular guy who happened to destroy his life with alcohol and drugs. He said Barnes is a dynamic speaker who is able to reach kids and maintain their attention.
“He told the kids that when he got married he was high and that when they had their first child he was high,” Wood said. “It was a real-life scenario that I think really had an impact on the kids.”
Fulgoni said there is much work to be done in the battle against drinking and drug use among young people.
“We need to have followup conversations about other ways of managing stress and pain in their lives … alternative ways of dealing with stress,” Fulgoni said.
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By Mike LaBella Staff Writer | Posted 5 months ago
Richard Barnes has a knack for bringing kids to tears.
As a guest speaker last week, the recovering addict spoke candidly to middle school students across Haverhill about his life addicted to alcohol and drugs and pleaded with them to avoid taking the same destructive path.
The power of his talk triggered such strong emotional reactions that some students had to walk out, while others quietly wiped away their tears. Following several of the talks, some children walked up to him and thanked him.
“Rich has a very good story to tell and is probably one of the best speakers I’ve seen who is able to get through to kids,” said School Committee President Scott Wood, who sought donations from the business community to pay for Barnes to visit the schools. “He also gives kids his email and phone number and tells them they can call him any time.”
In response to the concern regarding drug use and addiction that is well documented in Haverhill, as well as cities and towns throughout the state, the Haverhill public schools health and nursing departments have responded with increased programming to educate young people about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.
Officials said they are aggressively delivering the message through speakers, discussions in health education classes, and through the School Department’s new addiction and recovery counselor, Laura Mayer, a licensed independent clinical social worker.
Also last week, two former street criminals from Lawrence spoke to Haverhill High School’s at-risk students about the dangers of gangs and drugs. Antonio Santiago and Jose Duran, who together make up the recently formed organization The TEAM (Teach, Educate And Motivate), a group they founded to educate area students through sharing their experiences, received strong feedback from the 120 or so students in attendance, an encouraging sign for teachers and administrators trying to prevent kids from engaging in criminal activities.
Wood, who led the push for the drug counselor position, said he planned to bring Barnes to Haverhill after learning about his program. Wood received financial support from Haverhill Bank, Whittier Health Network, Pentucket Bank and Early Construction Company to hire Barnes, a recovering addict who brought his program “Richful Thinking” to Haverhill’s middle schools. Barnes spoke to students at the Consentino and Hunking middle schools last Thursday and at Whittier and Nettle middle schools on Friday.
“He spoke to our youth about the poor choices he made that resulted in a 29-year history of alcohol abuse and 21-year history of drug abuse,” said Wood, who sat in on Barnes’ talk last week at Nettle.
Barnes, who works full time as a senior home loan officer, spoke candidly about the choices he made in his youth and described his spiraling decline that led him to the point of no longer wanting to live.
He told students he has been clean and sober for eight years and that by telling his story, he continues to heal.
During his talks, Barnes pleads with youngsters to guard ferociously against taking the next drink or drug.
Barnes spoke to more than 200 Nettle students who packed the school gym for his 90-minute talk, followed by a question-and-answer session.
Barnes told kids that his alcohol addiction began at age 10 and lasted 28 years. He said his cocaine addiction began at age 17 and lasted 21 years. He is 47 now and in his ninth year of recovery. Barnes lives in Bridgewater with his wife and two daughters.
During the question-and-answer session, one student asked Barnes if his parents talked to him about drugs and alcohol when he was a kid. Barnes told the student that his parents “rarely talked to him about anything.”
“I told kids that I strongly encourage parents today to speak to their children about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and to warn them about experimentation,” Barnes said. “That experimentation can lead to many years lost due to addiction, which is what happened to me.”
Barnes said as many as 10 students came up to him after his talks and told them he made an impact on their lives.
“One student thanked me for coming to her school,” Barnes said.
Barnes said that at one point in one of the talks, he looked into the faces of four or five students who were crying.
“It told me that I probably hit a nerve about something they experienced in their own lives or the lives of someone close to them,” Barnes said. “My talk is for that one kid who needs it, and I feel that I reached my purpose in life, which is to help kids avoid the same path that I was on.”
Hunking Principal Jared Fulgoni said he was impressed with Barnes talk and that Barnes presented a “gritty reality” that seemed to capture the attention of students.
“He spoke to kids in a way they could see a possibility in their lives that this could happen to them,” Fulgoni said. “And he talked to them about the decisions he was making at their age and the consequences that led him on a particular path in life.”
Fulgoni said four students became visibly upset during one of Barnes’ talks, to the point where two of them had to leave the room.
“The scary part is that drugs are so prevalent and so many communities are struggling with the impact of opiate addiction,” Fulgoni said. “I’m not surprised to see such a visceral effect on kids as it is hitting home in their day-to-day lives.”
“I think we were able to reach a large number of kids,” Wood said. “One student who came up to Barnes after his talk told him that she’d already overdosed on drugs and that she’s been getting help.”
Wood said Barnes offered to help the girl in any way he could.
“I can definitely say he had a strong impact on several students who came up to him and spoke to him privately,” Wood said.
Wood said Barnes’ story seemed to resonate with students because he came across as a regular guy who happened to destroy his life with alcohol and drugs. He said Barnes is a dynamic speaker who is able to reach kids and maintain their attention.
“He told the kids that when he got married he was high and that when they had their first child he was high,” Wood said. “It was a real-life scenario that I think really had an impact on the kids.”
Fulgoni said there is much work to be done in the battle against drinking and drug use among young people.
“We need to have followup conversations about other ways of managing stress and pain in their lives … alternative ways of dealing with stress,” Fulgoni said.
More information about Barnes is available at www.richfulthinking.com.