RETIRED PROBATION OFFICER Judy Lawler (second from left) proudly accepts the Michael V. Dalton Making a Difference Award from, from left, Think of Michael Vice President Jamie Dalton, Think of Michael President Carmela Dalton and Think of Michael Treasurer Dick Dalton during the sixth annual Trivia Night fundraiser on June 14. (Dan Tomasello Photo)
By DAN TOMASELLO
WAKEFIELD — Seven years after his passing, Michael Dalton is continuing to make a profound and life-changing impact on people in recovery and their families.
Hundreds of residents and supporters of the recovery community came together to help support individuals struggling with substance use disorder during the Think of Michael Foundation’s sixth annual Trivia Night fundraiser at the Four Points By Sheraton in Wakefield on June 14. While proceeds from Trivia Night were still being tallied when the Villager went to press, Think of Michael Treasurer Dick Dalton said the fundraiser was very successful once again.
After Michael passed away from an opiate overdose in January 2018, the Dalton and Cook families formed the Think of Michael Foundation in hopes of preventing other families from experiencing similar tragedies. The nonprofit organization funds scholarships that allow people in recovery to stay at a sober house and supports a variety of recovery-related initiatives.
Dick thanked the hundreds of attendees for coming to the Think of Michael Foundation’s sixth annual Trivia Night fundraiser.
“Your support and generosity has been truly overwhelming,” said Dick. “Because of you, the foundation can help individuals and families dealing with substance use disorder. Because of you, the foundation has never declined to offer a qualified individual a sober home scholarship because funding wasn’t available. Because of you, the foundation has been able to significantly expand our scope of services.”
Think of Michael Vice President Jamie Dalton presented the 2025 Michael V. Dalton Making a Difference Award to retired probation officer Judy Lawler. He said Lawler has been “very important in my own life and many others.”
“I get to do something tonight that means a lot to me by honoring someone who has changed lives, changed systems and changed me,” said Jamie. “That someone is Judy Lawler. Judy recently retired after more than 30 years of service in Massachusetts’ probation service.”
After working as a juvenile probation officer in Barnstable County, Jamie said Lawler went on to work as an adult probation officer at Chelsea District Court for 17 years.
“Judy most recently served as the assistant chief probation officer at Malden District Court,” said Jamie. “She has helped make the Chelsea Drug Court Program a model that now impacts communities across the state. Judy holds advanced degrees in criminal justice and substance use counseling. She serves on the Changing Lives Through Literature working group and on the board of New England Association of Recovery Court Professionals, all while mentoring and advising long after retirement.”
Jamie said Lawler’s “legacy cannot be measured by credentials alone.”
“Her impact is personal,” said Jamie. “When I was new in recovery, the very first person and my now boss, Katie O’Leary, and mentor Joe LaFratta brought me to see was Judy Lawler. The person I met was kind, asked me questions and expressed condolences about my brother who had recently passed. She saw me. She said something to me that I have carried ever since. She asked me about what I was doing. We had just started the foundation, and she told me keep doing what you are doing, you are going to make your brother proud and this work is important. In that moment, she gave me something I didn’t even know I needed: Hope, belief and direction, not only in my own recovery, but in my purpose.”
After joining the Malden Recovery Court team a year after he first met Lawler, Jamie said he frequently saw her express empathy to individuals in recovery during team meetings.
“Judy never just saw a report,” said Jamie. “She asked the questions that mattered. She challenged all of us to think harder, care deeper and be better. We have gotten the chance to travel together now to national recovery court conferences. I have seen her speak about peer recovery coaches and recovery courts with clarity, strength and conviction. She connects people because she has never lost sight of what this work is really about, and that is human beings. I have gotten to know her incredible husband Bill. They are a team in every sense of the word and a wonderful couple. Even in retirement, Judy hasn’t slowed down. She is still mentoring, still training and still changing the game.”
Jamie said that when Lawler “believes in something, it grows.”
“She is wise, she is bold, she is honest and she is funny,” said Jamie. “She is not afraid to speak her truth. But more than anything, she believes in people. She lifts them up, holds them accountable and reminds them they are worth the effort. She has done that for hundreds and maybe thousands. Judy, you have helped shape the future of recovery courts but more than that, you shaped the hearts and the minds of the people working in them. You have left your mark on every life you have touched, and there are so many of us here who can say that. I am just one of them, and I am better because of you. Tonight is a real full circle moment with all of the gratitude in my heart. It is a privilege to present you with the Michael V. Dalton Making a Difference Award. You haven’t just made a difference; you continue to do so. You are the reason why many of us are still here, still doing this work and still believing in what is possible. Thank you Judy for your leadership, your mentorship, just being you and, most importantly, your friendship. You have truly made a difference.”
Lawler thanked Jamie and the Think of Michael Foundation for presenting her with the Michael V. Dalton Making a Difference Award.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive such an incredible and moving award,” said Lawler. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jamie, his sister Stacey and Jamie’s parents, Carmela and Richard Dalton, for honoring me tonight. But I would also like to thank and honor all of you for all that you do. I am truly blessed to work in a community that recognizes, understands, instills hope and walks alongside those individuals impacted by substance use disorder. In that community is the agency North Suffolk Community Services that provides many levels of care, and who employees caring, dedicated, professional and committed staff.”
Lawler noted that Jamie works for North Suffolk Community Services.
“Jamie always shows up always with a smile on his face and with a eagerness to help with a kind and giving heart,” said Lawler. “He has an endless supply of hope. Jamie became part of the Malden Recovery Court team, and quickly became a valuable member by helping the participants navigate services, obstacles and struggles as well as encouraging optimism and inspiration. We thank you Jamie for walking side-by-side with us, and we are grateful for your ongoing partnership.”
Lawler recalled that the Think of Michael Foundation has undertaken a number of initiatives, including funding sober home scholarships, the Women’s Recovery Court Session and many other programs.
“By doing so, you provide hope, inspiration and empowerment, giving the voiceless in our community a voice,” said Lawler. “From your unimaginable pain of losing your beloved Michael, a son, a brother, a father, an uncle and a friend, you have all found incredible purpose. I thank you for your tireless efforts as you continue to reach out to those impacted by substance use disorder by providing support, a helping a hand, a safe place to land and a moment to breathe. And in that moment of clarity, an opportunity for someone to say, ‘Yes, I can get sober one day at a time.’ Your efforts also continue to address and fight stigma, provide education and understanding of this insidious disease and help those families who suffer in silence by offering hope.”
Lawler thanked her family for their love and support, particularly her husband Bill for “supporting and encouraging me on this journey.”
“It means a lot,” said Lawler.
Lawler thanked the Think of Michael Foundation and North Suffolk Community Services for embracing and empowering her.
“For that, I am eternally grateful,” said Lawler. “I thank you again for this incredible honor and may we all make a commitment to roll up our sleeves and continue this journey of hope, healing and inspiration.”
Trivia Night’s attendees gave Lawler and the Dalton and Cook families a round of applause.
Dick said Lawler and the other 12 past Michael V. Dalton Making a Difference Award recipients “are truly making a difference.”
Looking back on the first Trivia Night fundraiser, Dick said the Think of Michael Foundation’s goal was to “raise a few dollars more than we spent on the event.”
“And to our surprise, we exceeded our expectations,” said Dick. “In those early years, I often wondered if the foundation was in fact sustainable. Well, I stand before you tonight and tell you that because of you, we have had the funding available to truly make a difference.”
In the wake of Kiss 108 FM radio host Billy Costa being out of town, entrepreneur and former sportscaster Chris Collins served as the special guest live auctioneer for Trivia Night.
Dick thanked the Think of Michael Foundation’s “talented and dedicated” Board of Directors for helping organize the sixth annual Trivia Night: Natasha Anderson, Chris Barrett, Jenn Burnham, Jim, Bernadette and Audra Dalton, Candace Doucette, Jacqui Driscoll, Tony, Louise and Mark Ferullo, Jay Gardner, Bruce and Maria Glinksi, Patricia Hazelton, Nicole Lamar, Karen Littlefield, Pauline Marino, Maria Peary, Michelle Riley, Amanda Petrini, Tammy Ryan, Shirley Sicilano, and PJ and Lauren Varone.
“They have spent countless hours to ensure this evening is an overwhelming success,” said Dick. “From soliciting local merchants to the countless hours in producing an event program, postings on social media and working the many tasks behind the scenes that aren’t obvious to the general public. We love you guys and thank you so very much. It is difficult to put into words how much Carmela and I, Stacey, Jamie and our grandchildren appreciate all that you do for the foundation and the Dalton and Cook families.”
Dick thanked Trivia Night’s premier sponsors Chapters Recovery Center, Everett Co-Operative Bank’s Charitable Foundation, North Suffolk Community Services, and Kevin and Leslie McCafferty. He thanked the Four Points By Sheraton for hosting the Trivia Night fundraiser for the third straight year. He also thanked Bob Priestley and Boston Audio Visual Rental for providing production services for the event.
Aftermath Addiction Treatment Center members Derek Tirrell, Michael Burdetsky, Amber Yanakopulos, Diana Martocchia, Hilary Glynn, John Tirabassi and Diane Hennessy won the Trivia Night competition.
“Aftermath has been a sponsor for a number of years now,” said Dick. “We appreciate them being here this evening.”