Carmela Dalton Honored With 2022 Commonwealth Heroine Award

Lynnfield resident Carmela Dalton has been selected as a recipient of a 2022 Commonwealth Heroine Award by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW).

Dalton and other recipients of this year’s award were recognized at a reception held in their honor at The Venezia in Boston on June 22. Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito served as the guest speaker.

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading), who nominated Dalton for the award, and State Senator Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) both commended Dalton for her work in the Lynnfield community.

Dalton is the President of the Think of Michael Foundation, a Lynnfield-based non-profit dedicated to helping individuals and families battle substance abuse. She and her husband, Select Board Member Richard Dalton, launched the foundation after losing their son, Michael, to an overdose in 2018.

Named as a 2020 Top Rated Nonprofit, the Think of Michael Foundation provides scholarships to individuals who have completed clinical stabilization treatment and then require housing assistance in a safe and supportive environment with others going through the same experience, an important beginning for many people in the early stages of recovery. Recently, the Think of Michael Foundation donated $10,000 to the Gavin Foundation’s Covid-19 Emergency Response Rent Relief Program. The foundation’s goal is to assist individuals to help them achieve the best success in their sobriety.

“No parent should ever experience the loss of a child, but Carmela and her husband have channeled their personal grief into an opportunity to honor Michael’s memory by providing hope and inspiration to others who are struggling with substance use, as well as their loved ones,” said Representative Jones. “Carmela’s commitment to this cause is truly commendable, and her work with the Think of Michael Foundation has had a profound impact on so many people’s lives. Her involvement in the community, her selflessness and her benevolence all exemplify the kind of Commonwealth Heroine that the MCSW seeks to recognize.”

“Carmela Dalton works tirelessly to combat substance use, one of the toughest epidemics that we see throughout our communities. She has continually identified areas of real need in the community and finds ways to fill them,” said Senator Crighton. “Her work has directly improved the lives of so many and she is so deserving of this great honor.”

Since 2004, the MCSW has recognized women across the Commonwealth “who don’t make the news, but make the difference.”

“Thousands of women in every community of the state perform unheralded acts on a daily basis that make our homes, neighborhoods, cities, and towns better places to live,” the MCSW noted. “Commonwealth Heroines use their time, talent, spirit, and enthusiasm to enrich the lives of others in their community. They are mentors, volunteers, and innovators who strive to protect and represent the interests of seniors, victims of violence, children, immigrants, and other vulnerable populations. They are the glue that keeps a community together.”

Created by the Legislature in 1998, the MCSW is an independent state agency that works to advance women of the Commonwealth to full equality in all areas of life and to promote their rights and opportunities. For more information about the MCSW, please visit https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-commission-on-the-status-of-women.

To learn more about the Think of Michael Foundation, please visit https://thinkofmichael.org/.