Here’s a feel good story! Devon, 11 years old, lost his dad years ago. A real estate phenom, his mom unfortunately started to struggle financially in 2009. (Who didn’t in real estate?!) She and Devon moved in with family in 2010 and the bright side is the family farm has a small lake on it. So Devon’s mom asked me if I knew anyone with an old canoe or kayak so they could exercise and have fun, making lemonade out of life’s lemons. I simply posted it on a couple of kayaking email listserves in and around Asheville NC and viola, I heard via email from Olympic-kayaker and all around good guy Eric Jackson that he wanted to donate a NEW Day Tripper kayak to Devon (the news came on Devon’s birthday even!). I was floored. To my whitewater kayaking community, Eric Jackson is a super, super-star. He carved out the market for kids and kayaking. Well, being a publicist, I had to share this good news in a bad economy with the media. Charlotte NBC picked it up wanting to post photos like the one in this post on their website. By the way, the photo includes Devon with Jackson representative, Drew Gregory (a well-known superstar in his own right – see this very popular YouTube video where he’s attacked by geese). Now, I’m on the hunt for a couple of life jackets and two paddles to complete the package for this little guy. What good deed have you done today? Be sure to tell your local and national media about it!!! For sure we could all be inspired by it.

Filed under: Topics Tagged: Daytripper, Drew Gregory, Eric Jackson, Jackson Kayaks, making a difference, media coverage, NBC