When 40-odd motorcycles roared into their front yard last summer, 6-year-old Bird Girl and 4-year-old Neverland Pirate could only watch in half-terrified amazement, clutching at their mother, Sunshine Rose.
But by the time the group of bikers left, several hours later, Neverland Pirate was cuddled in the lap of Darin “Bones” Hollis, listening to a story, while Bird Girl was tentatively interested in sitting on the massive bike seats. Bird Girl, and her brother, Neverland Pirate, are among the hundreds of children in East Texas — and around the country — who benefit from a program called Bikers Against Child Abuse, or BACA.
BACA’s mission is simply to “help kids,” said Kent “Ditch Witch” Sommerfeld, president of BACA’s local Woodbine Chapter and secretary of the statewide organization. “We’re here to give them their power back.”
Bird Girl and Neverland Pirate were allegedly physically and sexually abused by their father, and all of the children in the program have experienced trauma through various forms of abuse.
“The children we work with have been through a lot,” Sommerfeld said. “We’re here to make them feel safe.”
The mission
Sommerfeld wears a heavy black leather jacket, emblazoned with the group’s intimidating insignia, a closed fist on a stark red background, with the letters B.A.C.A “tattooed” across the knuckles accented with a skull and crossbones. And while the bikers make an imposing force as some 40 to 50 of them ride up to a child’s house, the reality is anything but intimidating, Sunshine Rose said.
“Yes, it’s a powerful thing to watch them ride up,” she said. “But I think it’s because they’re so tough that the children feel safe so quickly.”
And feeling safe is what it’s all about.
In its official mission statement, BACA says it exists “with the intent to create a safer environment for abused children. We exist as a body of bikers to empower children to not feel afraid of the world in which they live.”
“These kids were in a position where they were picked on,” said Sommerfeld, whose “road name” of Ditch Witch commemorates a near wreck on his bike in which he left the roadway and tore a swatch through grass and weeds on a highway shoulder. “We make a promise to these kids that nothing bad will ever happen to them from that person again.” That promise becomes a covenant between each biker and the children they protect.
The operation
Children are referred to the BACA program from various child advocacy centers, from the court system, sometimes from police officers, district attorneys or other legal avenues once a case has been filed against the person who hurt them, Sommerfeld explained.
The Rusk County Children’s Advocacy Center, in Henderson, referred Bird Girl and Neverland Pirate to BACA. “We probably refer about 15 kids a year,” said Executive Director Kishla Salazar. “It’s a fantastic program. Those bikers are so dedicated and make a huge impact on the kids. We’ve been very pleased with our outcomes when we partner with BACA.”
After the bikers get a referral, they contact the family or guardian to set up a time to meet the children. “We have to decide if it’s the right fit for all of us,” Sommerfeld said.
The Woodbine chapter of BACA covers the territory from Texarkana to Carthage and from Gun Barrel City to Mount Enterprise and Wells, and everything in between.
The 20 members of the local group support about 35 to 40 area children. Each member of BACA has been through an FBI background check and has been a member of the biker group for at least a year, earning the hard won patch that indicates he or she is an active and upstanding participant.
Then, a few of the members go meet the family.
Each child is assigned a “primary” and “secondary” contact person, or mentor.
For Bird Girl and Neverland Pirate, their special friends are Big Daddy and Hans.
When everyone involved decides they’re a good match, an “adoption” ceremony is held in which the children are “brought into the BACA family,” Sommerfeld said.
That’s when all the bikers ride together, usually meeting at a central location and riding en masse to the private adoption ceremony.
“There’s almost no words for it,” Sunshine Rose said. “When they come to your house, they also make sure to protect it. They check to make sure it’s safe, and they leave people on the perimeter to kind of stand guard.” At the adoption ceremony, each child chooses his or her own special road name.
“We talk to the kids, and we find out about what they love and what their interests are,” said Hollis, who is the vice president of the Woodbine BACA chapter. “Sometimes we suggest things, sometimes we let them choose.”
Bird Girl loves her feathered friends, her mother said. Neverland Pirate is a big fan of swashbucklers, especially the Disney cartoon, “Jake and the Neverland Pirates.”
“Giving themselves a road name gets them thinking,” Hollis said.
One young lady adopted the moniker “Warrior Princess.”
“She was very shy, but very strong,” Hollis said. “And she sees herself as a princess, so this name empowers her.” Cake Boss loves to bake. Pink Monkey combined her favorite color and her favorite animal, whose image adorns her pillowcase.
“They love it,” Hollis said.
At Neverland Pirate and Bird Girl’s adoption ceremony, “Bones got right down on their level and asked the kids what they wanted,” Sunshine Rose said. “That was all that mattered, making the kids feel safe and comfortable.” He gave Bird Girl the option of only having the women members in on her ceremony, which the little one quickly agreed to.
“We had Bird Girl’s ceremony inside the house with only Poppins, Senior and Runway,” Sunshine Rose said. “All the men stayed outside.”
From then on, only road names are used, never given names. After that, the bikers stay in contact with the families through phone calls, texts, visits, or whatever level of participation the family feels comfortable with.
Hollis said he spends most of his free time on his BACA kids, checking in, sending texts (which also go to the parent or guardian) or talking on the phone.
Neverland Pirate calls Big Daddy frequently, according to Sunshine Rose.
“He’ll call to say ‘good night’ or ‘good morning,’ or he’ll call when he gets scared,” she said. “Bird Girl is not so big on the phone, though.”
If a child isn’t so big on the phone, or into visits, the bikers don’t press the issue, but assure the family they’re always there when needed.
“Big Daddy is so cool. I like him,” Neverland Pirate said.
If the child wants to talk about their trauma, a mentor refers him or her back to a parent or a counselor. “We don’t go into that with them,” Sommerfeld said.
BACA holds family days, like ziplining adventures and horseback riding afternoons, Sunshine Rose said. “We really enjoy those.”
When and if the time comes, the bikers go to court with the child.
“Most family members have to testify, so they’re not allowed to sit in the courtroom,” Sommerfeld said. “We don’t talk about the details of the case with the child, so we can’t be called on to testify. So when the child is on the stand, they can look out and see us sitting there and know it’s going to be OK.”
No matter the outcome of the legal proceedings, there’s always a celebration after court.
“It’s about them standing up for themselves and for that, they’re a hero,” Sommerfeld said. “We use the word ‘hero’ around here a lot.
“No matter how it went down, they are taking back what was theirs. They have the power back.” Once a BACA kid,always a BACA kid BACA helps children between the ages of 5 and 17. Hollis himself has mentored children from ages 5 to 15. Sommerfeld has one child who is 16 and plans to join the biker group when she’s 18.
At age 18, they officially “age out,” but “once you’re a BACA kid, you’re always a BACA kid,” Hollis and Sommerfeld emphasized. “They can stay around as long as they want.”
The family days are a lot of fun for not only the kids, but parents, guardians and the bikers themselves. “We’ll rent out the skating rink, the bounce house places, or have a Christmas party,” he said. “It’s all free for the kids and their families.”
At the events, where bikers are posted at the entrances, “It is so safe,” Sunshine Rose said. Kids are allowed to be kids, Sommerfeld said.
“We bring our own kids along, if we have them, partly for normalcy, so they aren’t the only kids there.” The transformation in the BACA children is usually quick, and often “miraculous.” “I think because the bikers look so rough, it’s easy for the kids to feel protected,” Salazar said, laughing. For Sunshine Rose, and other parents, the transformation is much more profound.
“I’m not the only parent with tears in my eyes,” Sunshine Rose said. “Watching Bird Girl interact with men, talking to Ditch Witch and asking him questions and even being able to stand being around them is a miracle. Seeing that feeling of strength she has within herself is so empowering.”
As for Neverland Pirate, “he looks up to Big Daddy as a strong, positive role model, someone he can turn to,” she said. But the biggest deal, to her, is “seeing trust return that had been so broken.” “As a parent who has been where I have, seeing that spark of joy in the kids that you haven’t seen in a long time ... there’s no words ... just tears ... ” she said, her voice trailing off momentarily.
Riding for a reason
Sommerfeld joined BACA when the chapter formed in 2009, and Hollis has been with the group since 2010. Both men had already been riding with a group of friends, but decided to join to be a part of a something bigger. “It gives me a reason to ride,” Sommerfeld said. “Anyone can ride out to a restaurant or bar, but this is to help kids.”
“You ride for an actual cause,” Hollis said.
Sommerfeld has a daughter who is in the sixth grade. Hollis has children who are grown and out of the house. “It’s one way I can give back to the kids who didn’t have the same opportunities my own kids had,” Hollis said. Parents like Sunshine Rose are certainly glad BACA exists.
“The group has really been a blessing,” she said. I think they’re so great, and the experience is profound. That’s just an excellent way to describe it.”
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Source: News-Journal, Amy Pearson, January 19, 2014
