New Milford Mom Asks You to Stand Up Against Bullying

Be more than a bystander and stand up against bullying!

My 13-year old daughter, Ally, was bullied to the point of depression and desperation. But kids stood by in silence – perhaps not knowing how to help – as she was shunned, pushed, tripped, spit on, shoved into lockers, and told that her mother should have had an abortion. In one day, she received 270 hate mail messages telling her to kill herself. I was left heartbroken for her, but was determined to ensure that no child would ever experience the loneliness and isolation that Ally felt. 

Like Ally, over 13 million kids will experience bullying at school, online, on the bus, and elsewhere this year, making it the most common form of violence kids face in this country. Yet research shows that when parents talk to their kids about bullying, their children are more likely to take action to stop bullying.  And when bystanders intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds in most cases. As Ally’s story shows, just a simple act of kindness can make a huge difference to a kid who is bullied.

You can make a difference starting today. Sign this petition and commit talking to your kids about being more than a bystander when bullying happens in their school or community. Help us reach 1,300 signatures by the end of the year - 1 signature for every 10,000 kids who experience bullying. Let’s show kids like Ally we care and are taking action. And please consider donating to StopBullying.Tilt.com, where you can help us extend the reach and impact of the "Be More than a Bystander" message.

The Ad Council’s Bullying Prevention “Be More than a Bystander” campaign empowers parents to talk to their children about bullying by providing them with helpful tips, information, and resources that outline the safe steps kids can take to be more than a bystander. Since the national campaign launched in 2012, significantly more parents say they’ve spoken to their child’s school about bullying and looked for information online about bullying. 

Stand up for those 13 million children who will experience bullying this year. More children like Ally don’t deserve to keep fighting harassment. We need your help to build upon the campaign’s momentum. Your support can help create more PSA materials, more media support, more parent engagement, and – most importantly – less bullying. Through these efforts, we hope no child will ever have to experience the loneliness Ally felt.

Click here to support the campaign and learn more about Ally’s story here

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Submitted by Darien, CT

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