Merrimack Valley Life

Kayakers paddle the Merrimack for addiction prevention



Participants in the first annual Eammon’s Heart Paddle for Prevention included (from left) Tim Boyd, Cameron Linger, Hannah Emmett, Vanessa Natalino, Izzy Hovey, Jamie Beauregard Hovey, Eric Hovey, Zachary Maidment, Reggie King, Helen Sheehan, Kim Cummings, Erin Cuipa, Christina Eckert, Ken Taylor and Zach Taylor. Haverhill Life photo by Sue-Lynn Leung

Participants in the first annual Eammon’s Heart Paddle for Prevention included (from left) Tim Boyd, Cameron Linger, Hannah Emmett, Vanessa Natalino, Izzy Hovey, Jamie Beauregard Hovey, Eric Hovey, Zachary Maidment, Reggie King, Helen Sheehan, Kim Cummings, Erin Cuipa, Christina Eckert, Ken Taylor and Zach Taylor. Haverhill Life photo by Sue-Lynn Leung

The inaugural Eammon’s Heart Paddle for Prevention sent about a dozen kay­akers on a journey down the Merrimack River from Haverhill to Newburyport. The event, which took place in late Sep­tember, was intended to increase aware­ness of and erase the stigma associated with addiction. It also raised funds to support addiction-prevention programs in Haverhill.

Helen Sheehan, the CEO and found­er of Eammon’s Heart Foundation for Prevention and Recovery, lost her son, Eammon, to substance addiction last year. The foundation is a way to honor his memory and to “to inspire a path to a safer community for our youth. To change the dialogue around the stigma and shame of addition.”

Sheehan settled on the Paddle for Pre­vention fundraising idea because it pays homage to her son’s love of the water and involves Haverhill’s natural resource, the Merrimack River. Local communi­ty leaders and businesses stepped up to help support this great cause. Plum Is­land Kayak donated the kayaks and gear for participants.

It took the group about six and a half hours to paddle from Haverhill to New­buryport, with a quick stop in West New­bury for sandwiches and refreshments. Visit eammonsheart.org for more infor­mation or to make a donation.

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