By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
SAUGUS — A group of former Saugus High school students are getting substance abuse prevention education rolling.
Dana Gould, 55, originally intended to get a small group of old friends together to ride their motorcycles. But soon, the 1979 graduate and a small group of his classmates decided they could use the event to raise money for substance abuse awareness and prevention programming at the town’s public schools.
“The opioid epidemic is a major concern in our world today and more people need to do something about it to try to get young people to understand the dangers and ramifications if they do decide to use,” said Gould. “I’ve been in recovery for 14 years. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go and I’ve seen quite a few die because of this disease. It’s just important to me to try to give back in any way that I can.”
Gould, who grew up on Lincoln Avenue, said he and and his co-organizers Anne Blake, John Delello, Tammy Surette Kelley, Kevin Raiche, and Karlene Furiel, all know how crucial the cause is.
“All members involved have lost friends due to addiction,” he said. “We decided the money would go to the public schools for educational programs about the dangers of substance abuse.”
Jeannie Meredith, chairwoman of the School Committee, said she fully supports the ride’s cause and believes the schools should be doing more to educate and prevent substance abuse rather than waiting to treat the problem.
“There has been a lack of prevention education in Saugus Public Schools for as long as I can remember,” said Meredith. “This was a huge factor in my decision to run for school committee 3½ years ago. We have had a substantial turnover in leadership in the past several years. With a year-and-a-half under (Superintendent Dr. David) DeRuosi’s belt, and with the school vote officially passing, I’m hopeful that this is now going to be placed on the front burner and addressed in a manner that will make a difference to our students.
“The epidemic is far worse than anyone could have imagined,” she said. “In my opinion, we need to be putting the funds towards educating our youth of the dangers and lifelong effects these drugs have on people. We need to stop the children from using before they start.”
The August 12 motorcycle run will begin at Saugus High School. Registration for the 50-70 mile ride through more than half a dozen North Shore communities will start at 8:30 a.m. Kickstands will go up at 10 a.m.
When bikers return to Saugus, they will circle the town before settling at O’Brien’s Pub on Boston Street in Lynn for a cookout, raffle drawings, and entertainment by the Boston Pub Rockers, a local band that plays classic rock, southern rock, blues and country.
The registration cost is $25 per motorcycle and $10 per passenger. A $10 donation is recommended for those who wish to attend the cookout without participating in the ride.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.