Guardians of the Children plant 105 pinwheels to stand against child abuse

A total of 105 blue and silver pinwheels were planted into the lawn near the south entrance of the Lincoln County Courthouse in Merrill on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, each one representing one of the 105 confirmed and investigated cases of child abuse and neglect in Lincoln County that took place over the past year.
The pinwheels will remain on display for the month of April and are designed to attract attention, in recognition of April as Child Abuse Awareness Month. The pinwheel display is a joint effort between Lincoln County Social Services staff and the Northern Lights Chapter of Guardians of the Children (GOC). Michaela Ferge, the Child Welfare Manager for Lincoln County Social Services, said the number is not symbolic — it is an exact count.
GOC is a nonprofit organization of motorcycle enthusiasts whose mission, as outlined in their materials and detailed by GOC members, is to recognize and react to child abuse and educate the public to do the same; to serve as advocates, providing strength and stability to families in crisis; and to be an answer to the prayer of an abused child or teen for courage, support, and protection. The organization describes itself as family-based and community-involved, guided by the values of truth, valor, and integrity.
The Northern Lights Chapter currently spans 19 counties, including Lincoln and Marathon, operating with just 11 members.

What GOC members do

To protect the safety and privacy of their members, GOC members go by road names — code names such as Pops, Fox, Firefly, Farley, LJ, and White Loon — rather than their legal names.
The heart of their work is showing up for children, literally. When requested, vetted members will accompany a child to court proceedings to help keep them calm and confident in a difficult setting.
“We go to court with them and kind of walk them through the process and just sit with them,” one member said.
That courtroom presence is intentional. Another member described their role as “just trying to create a barrier between them” and the accused.
The group’s involvement does not end when court does. GOC commits to supporting each child they take under their wing until that child turns 18. Members take children to the park, sponsor birthday parties, and will even bring lunch to sit with them at school. If a child feels unsafe at home, members have been known to park their motorcycles outside the child’s house as a visible reminder that someone is watching out for them. They may give the child a safe ride to school or provide other concrete and visible assistance and protection.
GOC holds a special ceremony for each child who enters their program, members said. Local members like to say they “adopt” each child in the program, as they maintain their involvement with the child until that child reaches age 18, at which time they hope that child will join their mission as an adult member or associate member of the organization to support other abused or neglected children during their time of vulnerability. During the ceremony, the child receives a certificate and a teddy bear that is first passed among the members, each one speaking words of encouragement and strength into the bear, before it is given to the child.
“We fill that bear up with the components that give them the strength to get through their process,” one member said.
The organization partners with children’s advocacy agencies to receive referrals. Once it is determined that GOC can benefit a child, that child is brought into the program as a “Lil Guardian.” However, family members can also contact the GOC directly to request support for their child who has been the victim of abuse or neglect and is in need of support.
Members and supporters are, as the organization describes them, ordinary people — parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles who simply care about children.
“GOC is not just one individual force, fighting against child abuse. GOC is a brotherhood of motorcycle enthusiasts banded together for the same cause — our children. Our association as bikers gives us unique qualifications to protect our children and the ability to call on resources that might not generally be available to the public at large,” the organization’s brochure explains.
“GOC wants to send a clear message to all who would abuse children, that we are prepared to protect children, through our physical and emotional support,” the brochure continues. “GOC does not condone the use of violence or physical force in any manner; however, if we must act to prevent the abuse of another child, we will do so.”
“Dedicated to recognizing and reacting to child abuse,” GOC wants to help children transition “From victim to victor.”
“Don’t let your silence drown out their cries,” GOC urges the public.

New members and supporting members needed
The Northern Lights Chapter is actively recruiting, and the need is pressing given how much ground 11 members are covering across nearly 20 counties.

“We are accepting new members. If people want to join, they can get ahold of one of us and we can get them pointed in the right direction,” one member said.
Full membership requires that a person ride a motorcycle or at least have a seat on a bike, so if you have a motorcycle (or ride with someone who does), love to ride, and have a passion for helping children, this may be for you. “When a child calls, WE RIDE!” GOC members say.
However, those without a motorcycle are not excluded. The organization welcomes supporting members, who can participate in nearly every aspect of the mission.
“The supporters are doing basically everything but voting,” a GOC member said.
Supporting members are permitted to wear vests with patches and can accompany full members into the courtroom to support the children. Because of the close contact with vulnerable youth, all prospective members and supporters — regardless of role — must complete and pay for their own background checks. Extensive background checks are completed at the local, state and national level before they may interact with any child in the program.
When discussing the financial investment required from new volunteers, a member said: “If you want to do this and volunteer your time, you’re going to have to spend a little money. We don’t make enough [fundraising] to support every member ... you have to pay for your own background check, you have to pay for your patches.”
Each patch on a GOC member’s official black vest has meaning. For example, the primary (large) patch on the back which features the GOC logo, is earned after a full or associate member has attended court with a child for the first time, and it has deep meaning, with each component in the image representing something significant.
The black background color represents the dark times abused children live in. The maroon color of the lettering is for the pain they endure by the hands of others. The scales of justice on the crest are unbalanced, indicating they will remain so until such time that justice is served on all those to blame. The silver color represents the lining, a ray of hope that someday the abuse will stop. The shield and swords represent “Our tools. A Guardian must battle those who oppose.” And the archangel wings send a message of the highest importance, members say: “Truth, valor, integrity.”
Those wings are also a visible sign of the hedge of protection GOC members aim to place around every child victim of abuse or neglect, if they are able to and requested.
Anyone interested in joining or learning more can contact Northern Lights Chapter Secretary Fox, via email at fox25GOC@outlook.com or by phone at 715.567.0240.
The GOC Northern Lights Chapter currently holds public meetings on the third Sunday of the month at noon. They have been meeting recently at Boomer’s in Nokomis but hope to begin holding meetings in Merrill, a move they believe could help them recruit the additional volunteers needed to keep up with demand across the region.