The local B.A.C.A (Bikers Against Child Abuse) Southeast Utah Chapter offers services to abused children. Castle Country Radio was able to sit down with B.A.C.A. Member, Tom Barrington to get to know the local chapter.
B.A.C.A is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that assists abused children in the local area. B.A.C.A is a Utah homegrown organization that started in the Provo area in 1995 and has grown into an International Organization. “Well, its interesting B.A.C.A is Utah homegrown organization, it started up around Provo. We had a therapist that had little background in the biker community. He had an eight-year-old that was really having a hard time working through his therapy. He’s background with the biker community kind of gave him an idea, to grab some of my guys that I know, and we’ll just run over and see if he’d be interested in looking at bikes. That led to a second ride over, which eventually the child broke out of that sheltered shell that they get into. They see him leaving the house, leaving the protection of mom and dad and actually interacting with people again,” stated Barrington. This is how the B.A.C.A organization got its start in helping abused children gain a voice.
Other agencies such as DCFS, CJC and law enforcement will make referrals to B.A.C.A about a child that maybe in need of their services. “They will actually review what the case is, we have a person that’s educated in the process, he’s called our Child Liasson, he’ll then bring it to the Executive Order, the chapter. That chapter then votes on going in, if it’s a legitimate court case of some form of abuse that physical, emotional, sexual, whatever the case may be that’s in the system, then we will go ahead and bring that child into our organization and be there for them. The object is to empower them to get through what ever trauma they’ve experienced,” said Barrington. This would include going to court with the child, taking them to therapy or what every support the child may need during this difficult time. The organization also offers financial assistance for children who may need help with therapy costs.
If you would like to learn more about the B.A.C.A organization you can visit their website. “Everything’s on the internet, we have https://bacaworld.org/ and it will connect you with any chapter. You may hear this driving through town, but you live in Monticello, it has contacts through that website that you can click on, get a phone number, and contact them. We have tri-fold that we spot out all over our general area and like I said, we are covering sixth, seventh and eight judicial districts right now,” said Barrington. Once a referral is made to B.A.C.A the Child Liasson will review the case to see if it’s one that fits B.A.C.A’s criteria.
To learn more about the B.A.C.A organization please visit their website at https://bacaworld.org/ or call the Southeast Utah Chapter at (435) 637-2236.