Adventurers with big hearts donated nearly $20,000 to make the first annual Paddle for a Purpose fundraiser a huge success. (Photo courtesy Kelsey Gayle Photography)
On June 11, an estimated 100 kayakers, paddleboarders and hardy Mainers in canoes met at the Damariscotta boat launch for the first annual Paddle for a Purpose, a fundraising event dreamed up by the employees of Carson Douglas Landscape Architecture, Midcoast Kayak, and Glidden Point Oysters.
Adventurers with big hearts donated nearly $20,000 to help kids “Get off the Grid and Into Their Hearts” with Hearty Roots’ esteem-building outdoor adventure program.
Paddlers got creative as they turned out to support kids in Lincoln County. Participants from Knickerbocker Group in Boothbay brought their best boat flair, adding team flags to their vessels. Others wore matching outfits, and even little surfers got into the spirit of the day, dry-surfing on paddleboards at the after-hours party with music by The Gainers, surrounded by raffle items donated by Midcoast businesses and beyond.
The highlight of all these highlights? Hearty Roots was named the recipient of the Paddle for Purpose fundraiser for future years. “We want to be a part of getting Hearty Roots to where they want to be. Raising money each year to make bigger impacts and help more kids in our community,” said Allyson Blake, of Glidden Point Oysters.
“We’re thrilled, obviously,” said Hearty Roots founder, Haley Bezon, “To be honored by the community in this way … well, it’s beyond anything we could have imagined.”
Bezon said the funds raised will help deepen the intentionally personalized nature offerings that help kids build resilience and foster mindfulness, and help Hearty Roots reach its dream of having a permanent waterfront home-base for their adventurers.
The event couldn’t have gotten off the ground without the sponsorship of Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, Midcoast Kayak, First National Bank of Damariscotta and Glidden Point Oysters, among so many others.
Douglas Gimbel served as emcee for the outdoor after-party event that drew nearly 200 guests. Gimbel invited the crowd to contribute funds to support Hearty Roots’ innovative approach to mental health and overall wellness for kids in Midcoast Maine.
“Our world is presenting greater, unforeseen challenges to our children than ever before,” Gimbel said. “Hearty Roots is addressing many of these issues with a hands-on, no-nonsense approach, right here locally in Lincoln County and they are a huge asset to our community.”
Paddle for a Purpose will return in 2023. For more information about Hearty Roots’ programming, summer offerings, or sponsoring a child’s hearty adventure through scholarship, go to heartyroots.org, or email haley@heartyroots.org.
