Dennis E. Babbitt.
A well-recognized Haverhill bicyclist, often the subject of curiosity and who died in 2024, will now be long remembered by youth who take part in activities at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Haverhill.
Dennis E. Babbitt who died at age 81 in January of 2024, left $25,000 in an unusual way that will now be used to support Boys and Girls Club programs. Club Executive Director Javier Bristol told WHAV the man’s heirs reached out several weeks ago by telephone and told his remarkable backstory.
“They grew up in Haverhill and the story behind Dennis, how he had and left some money in a backpack and that they would get that money and they just wanted to be able to pay it forward,” he said.
Bristol explained Babbitt’s brother Richard and his wife Kathleen inquired about programs and needs at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Haverhill. They chose to have the money go to programs that directly serve members.
“To help make a positive impact in this community with the kids right away, they gave us a one-time, $25,000 donation to help our operations and our programs,” he said.
According to his obituary, the Babbitt brothers grew up on Essex Street near the railroad station. Dennis Babbitt attended John C. Tilton and Haverhill High Schools. He visited Richard in Southern California in the 1970s and considered working in the movie industry, but chose to come back to Haverhill.
Bristol called the donation “generous and timely” as programs ramp up for the school year. He said the Club provides kids with many of their basic needs, from feeding and giving them a safe place to go, helping with homework and making sure they have fun along the way. Among less traditional programs, he cited the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Haverhill’s theater program, where the kids will be performing Shrek in December; “Kids in the Kitchen;” coding and 3D printing; and gardening.
He said Babbitt’s gift will “make a big difference” in these programs, paying for needed supplies and helping the activities grow.