LYNN — Community leaders, advocates, and frontline providers gathered Tuesday for the annual Child Abuse Prevention Month luncheon, hosted by the Lynn Community Connections Coalition at Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development’s Church Street headquarters.
The event brought together representatives from the Department of Children and Families, Lynn Public Schools, Centerboard, LHAND, and more than a dozen other partner agencies. At the heart of the event was a shared message: protecting children requires a unified, coordinated effort across services, schools, and neighborhoods.
“We are fortunate to have a rich tapestry of social service organizations,” said Mayor Jared C. Nicholson in his opening remarks. “There’s a lot of need, and the folks doing this work — who work with each other every day — know that. It’s about a service to those in need and being able to foster those relationships and that collaboration.”
One of the most talked-about moments came during a keynote presentation by Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA). Representing the Northern Massachusetts chapter, a biker known by his road name Topaz spoke powerfully about BACA’s mission: to empower abused children not to feel afraid.
“We’re not a substitute for police, and we’re not vigilantes,” Topaz said. “But when a child is too scared to sleep — when therapy and law enforcement can’t chase away the nightmares — we can stand guard and show that nothing is going to get past us.”
Founded locally in 2018, the Northern Massachusetts chapter covers Essex, Middlesex, and Suffolk counties. Members ride out to meet children in crisis, stand watch outside homes when necessary, and accompany them into courtrooms when they must testify against their abuser.
“Empowering children not to feel afraid, that’s our mission,” Topaz said. “What we do is give the child the tools to not feel afraid of the world.”
Topaz shared one powerful example of the group’s impact: a case where members stood guard outside a child’s home around the clock for a full week after an abuser had made threats to abduct them.
“We had people out there for 24 hours a day,” he said. “And that child was able to sleep.”
Topaz also emphasized that BACA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and that its members are unpaid volunteers. “We all pay our own freight — our own bikes, our own gas,” he said. “What we raise goes toward supporting the children — whether that’s events, therapy, or specialized support.”
Michelle D’Amico, Housing Stabilization staffer at LHAND and SIEMER Institute Lead Representative, presented an award to Linn Torto, executive director of the Massachusetts Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness, who is retiring from her role after years of service.
“She is a convener,” D’Amico said. “She worked tirelessly to bring departments and agencies together across sectors, especially elevating the work of the Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Commission. She paved the path for all of us.”
Torto, reflecting on her career, kept the spotlight on community partners. “It’s been an honor and a privilege to work with you,” she said. “You are the people that do the work. I always just tried to be a good bureaucrat. We listened to you. We listened to our young people and tried to move resources and new programs to support them.”
The event also featured remarks from Suzanne Hauck, area director for the Lynn DCF office, who highlighted this year’s national theme: the importance of communities working together to support and strengthen families.
“Seventy-six percent of the families we work with never have a child removed from their home,” Hauck said. “What we do is assess the needs and then refer to services — services provided by the people in this room.”
Hauck noted that many people associate DCF with child removal, but the agency’s broader mission is family stabilization and community partnership. “We don’t have magic wands,” she said. “You all are the magic wands.”
The Lynn Community Connections Coalition also announced that its popular Community Resource Book, first introduced at last year’s luncheon, is now available in digital format. Attendees received QR codes to access the updated guide, which lists programs and contacts across the city.
Topaz closed BACA’s remarks with a request to service providers in the room: “We don’t advertise. The only way we get involved is if a family calls us. And they only call us if they know we exist. That’s where you come in.”
