Thank You

Ever have one of those moments in your life where you are trying to find the words to perfectly convey how you are feeling in the moment...but you simply cannot find anything adequate to say?  Right now I am living that very moment.

So I will set aside my need to find the perfect words, and fall back on my upbringing.  As a child my parents taught me the value of being polite.  Something I try to instill in my own children.  I believe there is great value and power in words like "please" or "thank you".  Whether you are asking for a second piece of pie after dinner (don't worry, your secret is safe with me), or asking folks across the globe to support your anti-bullying run by downloading a bib from a website and running a 5K...when you toss in the word "please", people are more apt to respond favorably.

I said please and you responded favorably.  Now I say thank you.  Thank you for taking time out of your Saturday morning on October 18th to join with us here on our campus.  Thank you for every step you ran and/or walked.  Thank you for participating.  Thank you for understanding that it was not a race.  Thank you for making the Buddy Up Against Bullying 5K your first 5K.  Thank you for cheering for each other.  Thank you for running with your child.  Thank you for running with your parents.  Thank you for downloading the free bib.  Thank you for wearing our bib while you ran in a totally different race somewhere else in the world.  Thank you for the encouraging emails.  Thank you for telling a friend.  Thank you for sponsoring us.  Thank you for the gift cards.  Thank you for the products.  Thank you for asking, "When is the next one?"  Thank you...thank you...thank you.

Most importantly, thank you for standing up against bullying.  Thank you for shining a light on the epidemic that is bullying in our schools.  On Saturday morning, I shared with the crowd a statistic that each and every day across the United States, 160,000 students skip school out of fear of being bullied.  My school district (Wake Count Public Schools) is the largest in North Carolina at approximately 157,000 students.  So imagine for a moment every school in my district sitting completely empty every single day because students were afraid.  Thank you for your support.

We are already looking at dates for our next Buddy Up Against Bullying 5K.  Will you join us?  Please?

BUAB

GO!

The day is here!  We want to thank everyone across the globe for their support, and encourage each of you to get out there today and run, walk, or bike in support of Buddy Up Against Bullying and the kids of Reedy Creek Middle School in Cary, NC.  

Be sure to wear your Buddy Up Against Bullying bib as your show of support.  Snap a selfie of you and your buddies and mark hashtag it with #buddyup5k.  

Thank you for your continued support!  Enjoy your run.

BUAB

Get Set...

#buddyup5k

Stand Up! Speak Up!

As a school administrator, without question the most difficult obstacle I face in the struggle to eradicate bullying from our school is not being in the know.  Not knowing who the real bullies are.  Not knowing who all the victims are.  Not knowing because, while people are aware of what's going on, many choose to be silent rather than taking a stand.

Students, I urge you to say something to an adult if you witness bullying, or if you are the victim of bullying.  Tell a trusted teacher.  Tell a school administrator.  Tell a coach.  Tell your parents.  Keep on telling until someone helps.  Parents, tell the school.

When I ask students, "Why didn't you come to me sooner?" their response all too often is, "I didn't want people to think of me as a snitch."  I prefer to think of it as taking a stand for what is right.  Sometimes doing the right thing can be unpopular.  And at the same time, doing the right thing can also be noble, courageous, heroic, brave, selfless, life changing, and inspirational.  It's all in how you look at it.

BUAB

#buddyup5k

On Your Mark...

Here we are, officially less than 5 days out from our 3rd Buddy Up Against Bullying 5K & Virtual 5K...and things could not be better.  For the on-campus event, we have already exceeded the number of registrants from our 2nd event, and are closing in quickly on topping our inaugural event from 2013.  

When we began this little adventure two short years ago, our primary goal was to put on an event for our students, staff, and families here at Reedy Creek Middle School, where we could all come together in a show of support against bullying at our school...and have some fun and exercise in the process.  

When we added the Virtual 5K to the mix, we had no idea it would be as successful as it has become.  It seemed like a good way for those kids who couldn't be here with us on campus to take part in something special...but we had no real expectation that people from outside of our community would join in.  Join in they did.

Our little blog gets traffic on a daily basis from people all over the globe.  In October alone, we've had visitors from France, Thailand, Romania, United Kingdom, Germany, New Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago, Unkraine, Canada, Guatemala, Russia, the Philippines, and all over the United States.  That show of support is both incredibly humbling and exciting at the same time.  Thank you for supporting our students, and what we are doing here in Cary, North Carolina.

Your support of the Buddy Up Against Bullying Virtual 5K shows our students here, and students all over the globe that they do not stand alone against bullying.  For your support, I humbly say...thank you.  

#buddyup5k

TC

National Bullying Prevention Month

Just in case you haven't heard the news, October is National Bullying Prevention Month.  As such, we have listed below a couple of ways you can lend your support through a few very simple and symbolic gestures:

• Monday, October 6, 2014 - World Day of Bullying Prevention - "Blue Shirt Day"
• The idea is simple...wear a blue shirt to work or school today to show your support of bullying prevention.

• Saturday, October 18, 2014 - Buddy Up Against Bullying 5k & Virtual 5K.
• Here on the Reedy Creek Middle School campus, we will have a 5K run for the students, staff, and families of our school.  The idea is to raise awareness...simple as that.  Want to participate where you are?  Download a bib and on October 18, get some friends together, pin our bib to your shirt, and go for a little run (or walk...or bike ride...anything active really). #buab5k

• Wednesday, October 22, 2014 - Unity Day of Bullying Prevention - "Orange Shirt Day"
• Wear an orange shirt to work or school as a show of support.

Show Support & Spread the News

Hey buddies!  Are you running in a race this weekend?  Want to know a simple way to show your love and support for Buddy Up Against Bullying while competing?  If the answer to those questions is "YES!"...try this:

Whether your running in the Athena's Run for GYN Cancers in Clemmons, NC or the MO' Cowbell Marathon in St. Charles, MO...you can promote Buddy Up Against Bullying by letting us have your back.  Simply print your FREE Buddy Up Against Bullying bib, pin it to your back, and run like the wind.  As you pass (or are passed as the case may be) by runner after runner, you'll be providing them some good reading material while raising awareness at the same time.  And raising awareness is what we're all about.  

One more favor to ask.  When you print your bib, snap a quick selfie with your bib and post it with the hashtag #BuddyUp5k.  Let's see if we can create a little social media "trend".

Thank you for your continued support...and happy running!

BUAB

One Month Away

We are officially one month from the next Buddy Up Against Bullying 5K & Virtual 5K!    

Some have asked, "Why did you move the run to October?"  The answer is a simple one.  October is National Bullying Awareness Month, and therefore it just made sense for us to move the run to October.  More accurately, we are adding an October run to the calendar, as we plan to do a run in the Spring of '15 as well.  We just couldn't let National Bullying Awareness Month slide by without doing our part.

For those of you that are RCMS students/family members/staff, you may register for the on-campus event by clicking here.  

Due to our limited capacity on campus, we unfortunately cannot open the on-campus event to anyone other than RCMS students/family members/staff at this time.  It is our mission to continue to grow the event in such a way as to move it off campus to a much larger venue, and open it up to the public at large.

In the meantime, if you are not able to join us on campus, you can still show your support by downloading one of our running bibs, donning your bib, and running/walking wherever you happen to be on October 18th.  Thank you to everyone across the nation and around the globe that have done that very thing for past Buddy Up runs.

We are very excited to get this year's event underway, and we thank you for your continued support.

BUAB

Think About It

"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."  - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Do not allow yourself to be trapped in the mindset that bullying "is just a part of growing up."  We mustn't sit idly by and watch or listen as our fellow human beings become the victim(s) or the perpetrator(s) of bullying.  In doing so, we validate bullying as an acceptable behavior, and therefore only serve to exacerbate the problem...when we should instead seek the solution.

BUAB

#BuddyUp5k

Start Stretching!

We here at BUAB headquarters are pleased to announce the next Buddy Up Against Bullying 5K and Virtual 5K is set for Saturday, October 18.  

The first two Buddy Up Against Bullying 5K & Virtual 5K events were a huge success, and we are so excited for our October event, as October is National Bullying Awareness Month.  

In the coming days we will post lots of information about the October event, as well as a link for you to download your free Buddy Up Against Bullying race bib.  

Stay tuned...and start stretching!

BUAB

It's A Wrap

The 2nd Buddy Up Against Bullying 5K is now in the books and it was a great success if I do say so.  We had a smaller contingent than last year, but that was to be expected with it being a holiday weekend.  Conversely, we had far more people downloading the bib than last year, making our Virtual 5K is huge hit!

To those of you that participated here on campus, to our sponsors, to those that participated in the Virtual 5K...thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

The outpouring of support from around the globe has been quite mind blowing.  Who knew that our small little event with just our students, families, faculty and staff could generate such awareness and support?  Certainly not me.

So what's next?  Well...we do it again.  This time, in October of 2014 to coincide with National Bullying Awareness Month.  Stay tuned, and thank you as always for your support.

BUAB

ATTENTION RCMS FAMILIES

If you are an RCMS student or parent, and you plan to participate in the on-campus event this Saturday (May 24th), please click here to register.  We need to have all of the pertinent information prior to Saturday, so please do this ahead of time.  We hope to see a strong student contingent, just as we did last year.

The on-campus run will start at 8:00 am, so please plan to arrive well ahead of time so you can sign in.

We will be drawing for some pretty cool prizes (Omega Sports gift cards, Road ID gift cards), so come out and enjoy you Saturday morning with us at RCMS.

And...whether you are participating on campus or not, don't forget to show your support by downloading your FREE Buddy Up Against Bullying bib.

As always... thank you for the support and continue to spread the word.

Let Us Have Your Back!

This Saturday, May 24^th, whether you are participating in the Bring On The Sun 5K (New York City), The China Camp Trail Run (San Rafael, California), the Who Let The Dogs Out 5K (Rusk, TX), or any of the other 500+ runs across the United States, you can show your support for Buddy Up Against Bullying by wearing our bib on your back as you run.  

The bib is free.  Your support is priceless.

TC

Tick...tock...tick...tock

Hi Buddies!  The time is fast approaching for the 2014 Buddy Up Against Bullying 5K & Virtual 5K.  If you haven't already downloaded your FREE bib, click here now to visit our buddies from Races2Remember for your very own Buddy Up Against Bullying bib.

Even if you are unable to participate in the event, downloading a bib is an excellent way to show your support for Buddy Up Against Bullying.

Every day across the United States, some 160,000 students skip school out of fear of being the target of a bully.  Our goal is to bring the topic of bullying out into the open, and have honest conversations about the perils of bullying, and how we can bring about a cultural shift in communities across the nation and around the world.  

Bullying is not a rite of passage.  It is not "just a part of growing up."  It is, however, time for a change.

TC

With A Little Help From Our Buddies

With apologies to The Beatles (and their fans all over the globe)...we're gonna get by with a little help from our buddies.  Buddies like Kim K, who donned her Buddy Up Against Bullying bib for the Tarheel 10 Miler over the weekend.  She had her official race bib on the front of her shirt, while her Buddy Up Against Bullying bib was on her back.  

What better way to promote Buddy Up Against Bullying, than to be a living, breathing, walking, running, sweating (haha) billboard?  And there is no need to wait for May 24th to get out there with your Buddy Up bib.  

Do you have a race coming up this weekend?  Download your own Buddy Up Against Bullying bib and, like Kim, let us have your back while you compete.  You won't even notice we're there...but your fellow runners will.

Thank you to our buddies everywhere for getting out there and spreading the word.  Happy running.

TC 

11 Facts About Bullying

Here are a few facts about bullying from our buddies at DO Something (dosomething.org):

1. Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year.

2. 1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene 4% of the time.

3. Approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying.

4. 17% of American students report being bullied 2 to 3 times a month or more within a school semester.

5. By age 14 less than 30% of boys and 40% of girls will talk to their peers about bullying.

6. Over 67% of students believe that schools respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of students believing that adult help is infrequent and ineffective.

7. 71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.

8. 90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying.

9. 1 in 10 students drop out of school because of repeated bullying.

10. As boys age they are less and less likely to feel sympathy for victims of bullying. In fact they are more likely to add to the problem than solve it.

11. Physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in middle school and declines in high school. Verbal abuse, on the other hand, remains constant.

The Countdown is ON!

If you haven't already downloaded your FREE Buddy Up Against Bullying bib, please click here to get yours now.


Countdown clock provided by: Countdown Clocks

Why Memorial Day Weekend? Why NOT Memorial Day Weekend?

Several people have asked, "Why are you having the Buddy Up Against Bullying run on Memorial Day weekend?  Aren't you worried that it will hurt the participation?"  My answer is a steadfast, "Nope.  Not worried at all."

I guess to some it may seem a bit odd to hold the event on a holiday weekend.  Sure, there is a chance that the level of participation here at our school may be impacted somewhat with some families traveling for the weekend.  However, the date really should not have an impact on overall participation thanks to the Virtual 5K aspect.  

On May 24th, 2014, no matter where on the globe you happen to find yourself, you can pin on you Buddy Up Against Bullying bib and go for a run...or a walk...or a bike ride...or a hike.  No matter what you do, you will be helping raise awareness over the epidemic that is bullying.  And that is what Buddy Up is all about...raising awareness and keeping the conversation about bullying out in the open.

Bullying doesn't just exist here in North Carolina (where I work).  It isn't a uniquely American issue either.  This is a global issue that impacts young people everywhere.  And I don't need to look at research data to know that...though the data certainly exists.  All I really have to do is look at the traffic for this very blog.  We have followers from all over the planet (which is a bit humbling to me...but I am thankful for the support), which tells me bullying is also an issue in Australia, Russia, Brazil, Malaysia, and India to name a few.

Nope...not worried one bit about having participation impacted by the Memorial Day weekend.

Thank you for your continued support!

TC

Running This Weekend?

Hi Buddies!  Got a big race this weekend?  Maybe just a training run?  Perhaps a bike ride?  How about a walk around the neighborhood with the family?  Whatever the case may be, we hope you'll consider promoting Buddy Up while you do what you do.

Here's how:  Click here to download your FREE Buddy Up Against Bullying bib, pin it to your shirt (if you're running a race, we suggest pinning it to your back), and go do your thing.  As you pass (or in my case are passed by) other runners they'll get a glimpse of  the bib and hopefully want to join our cause.

This is something I did last weekend as I ran the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, SC.  I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people asking me about Buddy Up and/or taking pictures of the bib so they could visit the blog.  So to our new buddies that were made in Charleston...welcome and thank you for your support.

Thank you everyone for the support you've given Buddy Up over the past year.  With your help and shameless promotion as a human billboard (and I mean that in the most flattering way possible), this year's event will easily surpass last year's in the number of bibs downloaded and the number of folks running all over the globe in support of our cause on May 24th.

Thank you a thousand times over for your support, and have a great weekend!

TC

Buddy Up Gets Some Free Publicity!

We are so stinking excited here at Buddy Up HQ that we can barely stand ourselves!  The good people at Character Matters NC gave Buddy Up Against Bullying a shout out via Twitter (@CharacterNC).  Of course we "retweeted" the news just as soon as we saw it.  If you follow us on Twitter, we ask that you retweet it as well and help spread the word.

That reminds us...if you don't already follow us on Twitter (@BuddyUp5K) or "like" us on Facebook, please do so today.  Every bit of publicity we can garner through social media helps to spread the Buddy Up message a little more quickly.  

Thank you one and all for your support of Buddy Up Against Bullying!

The Bib Is Ready!

Good news buddies!  The 2014 Buddy Up Against Bullying bib is ready for download.

To download your bib, simply click here and follow the extremely easy instructions.  Encourage your friends via social media, word of mouth, billboards, sky-writing...whatever means works best for you...to join us by downloading their own bib and taking part in the 2014 Buddy Up Against Bullying Virtual 5K on May 24th.

Special thanks to our buddies at Races to Remember for getting this year's bib ready and online so quickly, and very special thanks also to long-time buddy Kathy Myers for her work on the design for this years logo.

Thank you one and all for your continued support!

TC

We Are Back!

Mark your calendars and start training!  The 2^nd Buddy Up Against Bullying 5K and Virtual 5K is set for May 24^th, 2014. 

The outpouring of support we received last year was humbling and overwhelming, and we plan to make this year’s event even more successful. 

There have been a few bumps in the road along the way this year (growing pains), and we are still ironing out some of the details for this year’s event.  In the days ahead, be sure to come back to us to learn how you can participate in this year’s event, regardless of where you may be on May 24^th.

As always, thank you for your support of Buddy Up Against Bullying!

TC