WAKEFIELD — The Think of Michael Foundation hosted its fifth annual Trivia Night fundraiser Friday at the Four Points by Sheraton.
The Think of Michael foundation was founded by Lynnfield residents Dick and Carmela Dalton shortly after their son Michael died from his battle with substance use disorder in January 2018. The foundation is committed to using its funds to help individuals and families battling with SUD.
“It’s even hard to put into words,” Dick Dalton said about what the event means to him. “Each year we’ve raised more money than the previous year, which means we can do more good things in the addiction community than we did the prior year and it’s very rewarding.”
Dick Dalton said the foundation’s recent $10,000 donation to Northshore Recovery High School was for after school and summer programs, as the foundation strongly feels that adolescents in recovery need a “sense of community.”
He said this event helps the foundation work toward its goal of building a supportive community and expanding its reach.
“We are making a difference in today’s world,” Cameron Dalton said. “The real motivation is all the success stories and how good it makes us feel… There’s no greater hurt than losing a loved one. And I don’t ever want anyone else to go through this pain.”
NRHS Founder and Principal Michelle Muffett-Lipinski received the 2024 Michael V. Dalton Award.
Muffett-Lipinski said those who work with adolescents in recovery do not often get recognition, so it was an honor to receive this award that represents her work.
She added that the $10,000 donation NRHS received from the Think of Michael Foundation has supported students with activities to do “beyond the school day to keep them safe and sober.”
She said these activities include volunteering and other community services. “It makes them feel like they’re doing something , gives them purpose. And being able to have that, to connect to one another and the community, is essential to their recovery,” Muffett-Lipinski said.
One of the 11 live auction items of the event was a special appearance from Lynnfield local and Boston Bruins’ National Anthem singer, Todd Angilly.
Angilly, who worked for many years in the criminal justice field, said he recognizes society’s need to address SUD as an “epidemic.”
He said the Daltons turned a tragedy into helping an “insurmountable” number of people.
“We’re all a community. We all need to be a part of that and we need to help. They need our support and I’m always here to support,” Angilly said. “It’s important because it (SUD) can happen to anybody. It doesn’t discriminate.”
Stacey Cook, Michael’s older sister and the oldest of Dick and Carmela’s three children, said this event is a way to keep her brother’s legacy alive.
“It’s a huge showing five years later and I think it says a lot about what we’re doing, that all these people are still coming out,” Cook said.
