As the time draws near for our run, I find myself continually blown away by the outpouring of support in the community, and really from around the globe. To know that we have folks following our blog from almost every continent on earth (c'mon South America!!!) is just mind boggling to me.
It also speaks volumes about how everyone around the globe sees bullying as a problem. A problem that is not limited to one region of the world...or economic class...or race...or sex...or ethnic group...or religion. Bullying is truly a global issue.
Here in the United States, an estimated 160,000 children miss school every day out of fear of being bullied (source: bullyingstatistics.org). EVERY day! That's 800,000 bullying related absences a week across the nation. Over a 180-day school year, that's 28.8 MILLION bullying related absences!
To put that into a different perspective, here at Reedy Creek Middle School (where Kat and I work), we have just under 1,000 students. Imagine for just a moment, 160 schools the size of RCMS sitting absolutely empty every single day...all out of students' fear of being bullied.
No child should be made to feel like their only option is to skip school because they are afraid of being bullied. Bullying is not a rite of passage, and it is not just a part of growing up. This is an issue we can do something about. Granted, we will not rid our schools of bullying overnight, but through events like the Buddy Up Against Bullying 5K & Virtual 5K, and other events around the country aimed at bringing awareness to the issue, we will make progress, change lives, and eventually wipe out bullying once and for all.
Thank you for your support...and please continue to spread the word about Buddy Up.
TC
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