STATE SEN. BRENDAN CRIGHTON (center) is presented with the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth’s inaugural Champion of
Children and Families Award by Nahant Superintendent/MPY President Tony Pierantozzi and MPY Executive Director Margie Daniels. (Courtesy Photo)

WAKEFIELD — The Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. recently presented State Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) with the inaugural Champion of Children and Families Award.

Crighton was honored for his legislative work, which included filing numerous bills that could benefit youth across the commonwealth as well as for his work supporting students across the commonwealth.

“Sen. Crighton is a leader in the Massachusetts Senate regarding providing funding for social and emotional programs that support children, youth, and families,” said Nahant Public Schools Superintendent/MPY Board of Directors President Tony Pierantozzi. “MPY is pleased to present the 2023 Champion of Children and Families Award to Sen. Crighton to recognize his contributions to the health and safety of students in the commonwealth.”

The award was presented to Crighton at an MPY-sponsored conference about mental illness and depression in teens and young adults at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School in Danvers last month.

“Thank you to Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. for inviting me to speak at their professional conference and presenting me with their ‘Champion of Children and Families’ award,” Crighton wrote on his Facebook page. “We greatly appreciate all that MPY does, along with the mental health professionals who work tirelessly to help those in need.”

Crighton serves on the Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Joint Committee, as well as the Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Joint Committee, and also serves as Co-Chair of the Afterschool Caucus, which seeks to ensure that all children and youth across the commonwealth have access to effective afterschool and out-of-school programming that supports positive social, emotional, cognitive, and academic development and physical health.

The award was presented to Crighton at an MPY-sponsored conference about mental illness and depression in teens and young adults at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School in Danvers last month.

“Thank you to Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. for inviting me to speak at their professional conference and presenting me with their ‘Champion of Children and Families’ award,” Crighton wrote on his Facebook page. “We greatly appreciate all that MPY does, along with the mental health professionals who work tirelessly to help those in need.”

Crighton serves on the Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Joint Committee, as well as the Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Joint Committee, and also serves as Co-Chair of the Afterschool Caucus, which seeks to ensure that all children and youth across the commonwealth have access to effective afterschool and out-of-school programming that supports positive social, emotional, cognitive, and academic development and physical health.

Additionally, Crighton was a lead sponsor of the recently passed Work & Family Mobility Act, and helped secure a $300,000 increase in last year’s budget for the Mass Mentoring Partnership, as well as $250,000 for Roca, Inc., to provide services to young parents in Lynn.

Crighton has also supported legislation to increase opportunities for judicial diversion, as well as the Healthy Youth Act, which would ensure that Massachusetts schools that offer sex education use an age-appropriate, medically accurate, and LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum.

About MPY

The Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing information and training programs to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-orientated, community-based multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youths.

MPY’s board of directors is comprised of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver its mission. For more information, visit https://massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com/.