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