BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A local organization that helps people get out of jail to build a life for themselves is celebrating the retirement of their longtime director.
After nearly 40 years, Dismas of Vermont is saying farewell to Richard Gagne, one of its founding leaders.
“The thing that really attracted me to Dismas was that what it was trying to accomplish here was a healing of that brokenness,” Gagne said.
Gagne says he came to Burlington in search of a new purpose after working at a homeless shelter in Manchester, New Hampshire. He had been in the military, taught math to high school students, and been a part of a monastery. He wanted to make a difference in peoples’ lives and in 1986 thought Dismas House was a good start. “It makes me feel lucky. That’s the bottom line for me. I feel like it’s been a privilege. I feel like I got to do something that was meaningful to me and brought me happiness,” he said.
Gagne has been there ever since, providing transitional housing for formerly incarcerated people. He invites volunteers to cook family meals with people living in the house, one of five in Vermont. He estimates that about 2,000 people have been integrated back into society during that time. And he’s helped many through the transition, including Justin Adair, who now works for the organization.
“I don’t know what I would have done. Would I have stayed home? Would I have been surrounded by the same people I was surrounded by beforehand? Would I have fallen as a result of that? Would I have gotten myself into more trouble? I have no idea. I can tell you I’m glad that I did come and developed relationships with Kim and Richard,” Adair said.
Gagne is now focused on finding a suitable replacement to fill his shoes. He says he’s going to spend his retirement building furniture and sculpting. He says he’s grateful for the journey he’s had. “I am lucky because I know that not everybody is not that lucky. But I was,” he said.
Gagne will be honored as part of a Vermont Dismas Community Celebration on Saturday, May 4 at the Elley Long Center in Colchester at 6:30 p.m.
