This club was started to fill a void. There was nobody out there to help children aging out of the foster care system. The mission has expanded from there but standing for abused and neglected children is still at our core. Not all but more times than I care to say, a foster parent gets the last government check and the kids are on the street in a few days with nothing. If we don’t step in, statistics show a high percentage of those children will end up behind bars or on the streets within the first year.
There is a shortage of several thousand CASA volunteers in the state of TN alone. That means thousands of kids aren’t getting the home checks that could ultimately prevent them from being beaten, molested. or killed. That’s where we step in. We stand between the victim and the abuser. It isn’t always pretty, and sadly, isn’t always effective, but we try and that’s more than some of these victims have had in the past.
Victims of domestic violence are afraid of repercussions, so they refuse to press charges a great deal of the time. We’re there to shoulder those repercussions from the abuser so those kids can get out of that home and into a shelter, or with family safely.
If a grown woman chooses to go back to that situation, that’s on her but were there to make sure those kids stay safe. The court system has failed our country at times. We’re here to do all we can to help keep those safe that can’t help themselves.
I owe a debt to the members of this club I can never repay. I can’t promise you’ll always enjoy what we do. I can tell you right now you’re in for a lot of heartache, late nights, riding in the cold and rain, and failure even with our best efforts. What I CAN promise you is, the very first time a child wearing a “Protected by Guardian Riders” shirt looks up at you and smiles knowing they don’t have to live in fear anymore, it will all be worth it…
Nitro
