A new motorcycle chapter in Edmonton is helping empower young victims of abuse.
Guardians of the Children (GOC) was originally started in San Antonio, Texas in 2006, and in 2014, the first Canadian chapter opened in Winnipeg.
There are now two chapters in Alberta, including one in Edmonton.
“I’ve got a grandson that’s really close to me and I’d like to see him have somebody to come to and I think there’s other kids out there that need somebody to fall back on, to look up to,” Edmonton GOC chapter president Kevin Nitz said.
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GOC supports a child by providing escorts for them if they are afraid, regularly riding by the child’s house, and attending court and parole hearings with a child.
“We’ll assist them through the court process. It’s very traumatic for them to have to face the abuser in court, so they see a bunch of big, husky biker guys and they feel safe,” treasurer Kenton Kamieniecki said
The organization works with agencies such as Victims Services. Its child liaison determines if a case is legitimate before meeting a child and his or her parents.
“We get references from multiple agencies for the victims…victim abuse agencies. We will go out and meet the child that was referred to us and the family,” Kamieniecki said.
“Together with the family we’ll decide whether we’re the right fit for them and if they are we’ll adopt them into the chapter.”
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Kamieniecki said there are situations where children feel as if they have no one to turn, which is when GOC becomes most valuable.
“They feel like they’re enclosed in this little capsole. They don’t know that other people are going through it and they don’t know where the support is coming from, and a lot of times the violence is from within the families.”
GOC’s Edmonton chapter is hosting Empower the Children Ride this Sunday as a fundraiser at Borden Park.
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