Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Sue Scheff: Help STOMP Out Bullying


STOMP Out Bullying™ is an initiative of Love Our Children USA™ the national nonprofit leader that honors, respects and protects children. Its mission is to break the cycle of violence against children. Since 1999, it has paved the way in prevention and has become the 'Go-To' prevention organization for all forms of violence and neglect against children in the U.S.

Love Our Children USA launched the STOMP Out Bullying™ campaign in October, 2008. STOMP Out Bullying focuses its efforts to reduce Bullying and Cyberbullying, decrease school absenteeism and truancy, educate against homophobia and racism and deter violence in schools, playgrounds and communities across the country. It includes public service announcements by noted celebrities, in-school education, online and social media campaigns, posters, brochures and wristbands.

Both the STOMP Out Bullying Campaign™ and our Annual BLUE SHIRT DAY™ initiative bring awareness and educates kids, parents and schools about the issue. It offers hope for every kid who experiences the harmful effects of bullying and teaches parents to keep open communication with their children and to look for signs. It also educates school administrators across the country, who have swept this issue under the rug for far too long. Funds raised for the campaign go towards a dedicated web site and towards brochures and materials to assist bullying prevention education and peer mentoring in schools for those who adopt the STOMP Out Bullying™ campaign.

For those who think that kids need to toughen up and become thick-skinned, years ago we would have agreed with them. But today's kids are at risk, and that risk grows more and more everyday as the popularity of the Internet increases. Kids today are exposed to so much more than we were years ago. And years ago, when kids threatened to kill someone they didn't mean it. Today our kids have access to guns and the threat to kill someone is no longer idle.

The issues of bullying and cyberbullying have increased to epidemic proportions. As a form of violence against children, these issues have caused a crisis. Some kids are so tormented that suicide has become an alternative for them. It has everyone worried. Not just the kids on its receiving end, but the parents, teachers and others who may not understand how extreme bullying can get. Love Our Children USA is working aggressively to prevent these issues and to help the kids and teens affected by it.

Love Our Children created STOMP Out Bullying™ to put an end to this crisis, to keep our children safe and to create bullying prevention education and peer mentoring in schools.

Please join us in our efforts to educate and advocate and most of all to STOMP Out Bullying™!

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