DiscountSchoolSupply.Com Coupon Up to 15% OFF

Get Your DiscountSchoolSupply.Com Promotion Code Here

As Justin Murray painted in the delicate wings of butterflies and a caterpillar's curves Saturday, he hoped his mural at the Depot Family Crisis Center in Marysville will inspire residents to not give up on recovery.

"Anything that is going to give people hope," he said. "This is not the end of the road. There is still plenty of life ahead."

Murray was one of more than 100 volunteers with Norcal Waste Systems Inc. and Yuba-Sutter Disposal Inc. who spent the morning and much of the afternoon giving the century-old former train station a facelift. With paintbrushes in hand, they slathered recycled white paint onto walls, doors and ceilings to make the Depot a happy place for recovering addicts and their families.

"Just because you don't have a structure for your home does not mean you can't be somewhere and feel like you are at home," said Jackie Sillman, YSDI recycling coordinator.

The Salvation Army bought the Depot, which is perched on the levee above the intersection of Fifth and J streets, about 15 years ago. What began as a homeless shelter is now a state-certified drug treatment facility for men, women and families.

Residents can stay up to six months and receive dormitory-style shelter, counseling and three meals a day. About 60 people, including children, call the Depot home, and about 75 more are on a wait list to get in.

"These people are tired of living in their addiction for so many years," said Capt. Tom Stambaugh. "They finally want to get it right."

Murray's butterflies are the perfect recovery icon for resident Reba Sinclair. She received her first butterfly tattoo more than 20 years ago and has since added four more.

"They are beautiful and they are free," she said. "The are just uplifting."

The new paint and decorations will give the Depot a more homey feel, she said.

"It's a real fresh start, you know?" Sinclair said.

Even more impressive to the recovering addict was the turnout of community support.

"It feels really good to have all these people think about us, to care about us," she said.

John Baadsgaard, a YSDI operations supervisor, said it was the "funnest painting job" he has ever done, as he helped hide years of dirt and discoloration with fresh paint.

"For (residents) to come back and see these night bright rooms, it will just brighten their day," he said.

Nearby, other volunteers painted vibrant red, blue and green wings on the butterflies flitting across doorways.

In addition to the paint job, Norcal and YSDI employees also provided boxes of bedding, school supplies and home decor to cheer up and aid residents.

Stambaugh said he was grateful for the outpouring of support.

The economic downturn has not seriously impacted the Depot yet, but it could as federal, state and city budgets continue to cut grant funding, he said.

"If we lose any of those grants from cutbacks or whatnot, we could seriously have some problems," Stambaugh said.

Surrounded by butterflies and learning to take care of herself physically, emotionally and mentally, Sinclair said she hopes to graduate from the Depot in a few months and join her 15-year-old son in Missouri, where they can start a new life.

"It gives me hope," she said.

And that was exactly the attitude Murray said he wanted his mural to inspire in residents. A convicted felon and recovered meth addict himself, he is no stranger to the struggle of recovery.

He turned his life around by the grace of God and residents can too, he said. Now Murray has a good job, owns a nice home and shares life's daily joys with his family.

"Five years ago, I was sitting in a prison cell," he said. "I have my own hope now."

Contact Appeal reporter Ashley Gebb at 749-4724 or agebb@ appealdemocrat.com

Credit: Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.