Monday, April 1, 2013

Stop the Hate! - UPDATE! WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

The winners of the t-shirt contest are: 

Rachelle Gagne
Rea Valley

Colleen Doering
Greg
Jordan Haller

Amy
Patricia
Paula McClendon

Jackie Stevens
Tina L.

To claim your prize, please email cathy@cathyscreationsjewelry.com with your address and what size shirt you would like! Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone for your participation and support!

After Matthew Bent’s son was body slammed to the floor from the shoulder of a classmate three times last week, the frustrated father decided that enough was enough. During the last year, Matthew’s son was repeatedly returning home from school with tales of torment from a group of boys who allegedly did things that ranged from stealing his personal property to calling him names, all while facing little to no consequences. Police officers went so far as to blame Matthew’s son, saying there was little they could do about the “rough housing” because he had walked “straight into the lion’s den” by willingly entering the area where the bullies were gathered. Matthew decided to post his story on Facebook, posing with his son in a photo that showcases the duo holding up a sign explaining the situation and calling attention to the lack of effective measures in place to protect Matthew’s son. Little did Matthew know that this one picture would make him an overnight Internet sensation and the new face of anti-bullying campaigns online.

  
Bullying is an epidemic of unlimited proportions. It is estimated that 1 in 4 teachers does not perceive an incident as bullying when it is; as a result, over 3.2 million students are bullied each year. Over half of all students have reported witnessing a bullying event while at school, and 1 in 10 students will drop out of school due to bullying. An alarming 90% of 4th to 8th graders report being victims of bullies. And, in the wake of the most violent times our nation faces, we surrender to this shocking statistic: 75% of school shooting incidents were triggered by bullying and harassment.

Matthew Bent’s son’s most recent incident was classified as “horseplay” by authorities, but Matthew disagrees. So how is bullying defined?

Bullying is:

-Verbal harassment:
Saying or writing mean things
Name-calling
Inappropriate comments, sometimes of a sexual nature
Taunting
Threats

-Social/Relational:
Excluding someone from a group or activity with the intent of isolating them
Pressuring others to behave negatively toward another person
Spreading rumors about someone
Public embarrassment

-Physical
Hitting/kicking/punching
Spitting on or at someone
Tripping/pushing
Blocking someone’s exit to continue harassment
The taking and/or breaking of someone’s items
Rude or mean gestures

One or all of the above guidelines should be considered bullying if the behavior is aggressive and characterized by an imbalance of power (physical strength, access to embarrassing information, popularity, etc.) and repetition (if the behaviors happen frequently or appear that they potentially will.) Bullying has been shown to have negative life-long effects on both the victim and the aggressor.


Supporting zero tolerance for bullying in your local school can start small. Meet with teachers and administrators and ask what their policies are. Read over the student handbook and educate yourself on the rules and punishments of your school, in case you need to demand enforcement. Most importantly, reach out to your child. Explain what bullying is, and that it’s unacceptable. Help problem solve with them the steps they will take if they or another student are being bullied. And don’t forget to check in with them frequently to make sure they are not facing issues with their peers; even children who are very open and communicative may be confused, hurt, or scared to open up. Of equal importance, if your child is bullying others, reach out for help. Work with the school, counselors, and other officials to remedy the problem, and do not give up. We owe it to ourselves and to our children to work together and set good examples to stop the issue of bullying once and for all.

Cathy’s Creations is proud to say that we have joined the battle to raise awareness about the negative effects of bullying and have teamed up with Stop the Hate, Spread the Hope to create a Stop the Hate pendant. All profits from this pendant are donated to help this wonderful 501(c)(3) approved non-profit anti-bullying awareness organization with education, outreach, support, and efforts.

In an attempt to help spread the anti-bullying message, we will be giving away ten of these wonderful t-shirts! To enter to win, comment on this blog. We will select winners randomly.


Thank you Matthew Bent (and son!), Stop the Hate, Spread the Hope, and all anti-bullying warriors for your amazing approach to this societal issue. Keep up the good work!

42 comments:

  1. This is amazing! I hope to wear one :)

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    Replies
    1. ALL IO PEOPLE WHO WIN THE TEE SHIRT A GREAT IDEA IS PHOTOGRAPH THEM SELVES. AND THEN SEND THEM TO MATTHEW BENT. WHAT A GIFT. CALL IT 10 VISIONS OF HOPE.

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  2. This is amazing! I hope to wear one :)

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  3. This is amazing! I hope to wear one :)

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  4. Wonderful blog! I agree that bullying needs to stop!!!

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  5. What a great shirt to spread awarness

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  6. What a great way to spread awareness! I try to talk to Lexie every chance I get about bullying!

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  7. What a GREAT idea!! I always try to teach my kids to be kind and caring to ALL...but even more importantly to be STRONG enough to stick up for those who are being teased , picked on or ignored!!! They are amazing and do this now at 8 and 10.... I hope they stay strong through the teen years when people can sometimes be crueler and make it harder!! <3
    Keep fighting for the good causes Cathy ,,,,,, Judy Neyman

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  8. I love it, REALLY hope I win one! I have follow this amazing dad from the beginning!

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  9. Hopefully one day bullying wont exist. It would be a good day for all mankind. We have lots of work to do!

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  10. I want one of these really bad... I am against bullying, and apart of a lot of facebook bullying pages. As you know.. My daughter is 6 and has had a a lot of bullying done to her already this year, and shes only in Kindergarten. But me being her mom, I am her voice and can take care of it. If I am not one of the lucky winners of these shirts, please get back with me on how to buy one. Thanks.

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  11. I would love to give one of these to my grandson. He has dealt with a bully this year in 3rd grade and was bullied by his 1st grade teacher (we switched his school last year to get away from a school that uncaring about this issue).

    My grandson has dealt with his bully with calm and patience and relied heavily on his mom and teacher to do the right thing for him. Thankfully the teacher was very responsive when it continued and he no longer has a problem with him.

    I think the T-Shirts are a great way for adults to say "we stand with you against bullying" so the kids know they are not alone.

    Thanks for this great effort!

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  12. This story gives me hope - it's amazing what one person can do.

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  13. All for this Awesome !!!!!!!!!

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  14. Mathew and his son will never know the full extent of what they have done! We all need to spread the word ....... OUR CHILDREN ARE WORTH THE FIGHT!

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  15. Love the blog. Bullying needs to be stopped everywhere. I would like one of these shirts for my son who is a victim of bullying

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  16. This is so awesome you are doing this! Its about time we band together as one and stand up against this horribleness going on it the world today!

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  17. Thank you, Matthew, for joining the battle against bullying. It really is time to change the world. Thanks for helping keep hope alive! (Beautiful shirt, Cathy - I'd be honored to win one and I'd wear it everywhere!)

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  18. I commend Matthew Bent for all he's doing to further the issue with Bullying. I am behind this gentleman 150%. If we all stick together in this fight, maybe one day we can make it better for these children who suffer through this torment and ridicule.The fight has just begun! It's so nice to see so many people sticking together to fight this cause.

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  19. Thank you for supporting all bullying survivors!

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  20. Thank u for helping spread the word! I think it is very admirable that u R supporting Matthew Bent & his son in their fight to end bullying! I have 4 daughters, 3 of which have, at some point, been the victim of bullying. My fourth is only 8 months old.I pray that by the time she goes to school, wewill have been able to put a stop to this poisonous crime. God bless u!!

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  21. I want one for me and my son

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  22. This is wonderful....we all need to be supportive and help STOP bullying..... 2 out of 5 of my children were also recently being bullied. One on the bus and I finally was able to get seats changed permanently. Took a few phone calls....the other is special needs and he is entering middle school next year and I am honestly worried for him.....we all just need to stick together to fight this!!! STOP BULLYING NOW! God bless you!

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  23. I follow Mr Bent on facebook and I want to thank you for your support and generosity. Bullying is out of control; my 7 year old little girl has been being made fun of and picked on relentlessly at school and CCD classes...it needs to stop! This shirt is great and your selfless contribution to Mr Bent's plight is awesome! Thank you!!!

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  24. This is wonderful! Bullying needs to stop! My son was bullied for 2 months in school and I never knew.. he never said. He was being held by one while the other punched him, everyday for those two months.. until he couldn't take anymore and went to the principal. The boys got suspended, but were still allowed to participate in their sports.. I DON'T believe there is a strict enough law or school rule that scares the bullies into stopping what they are doing. I love this shirt.. and will support you!! It really breaks my heart to think that my son endured that for two months.. and what other kids go through in school and they don't tell!

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  25. Nice, it's a strong and bold message I hope to wear it proudly. Canada needs a wake up call, so come on Canada lets hear some comments. The kids need our hope for a big change from strong leaders.

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  26. I would love for my son, who has been bullied for years and has recently seen beyond his fear and lack of confidence to rise above and feel strong again. He would be very proud to wear this shirt and be the 'voice' of anti-bullying in his school and our community.

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  27. It takes an entire community to stop a bully. I hope I win one of these so I can start a fad in my community and hopefully get others involved in the cause.

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  28. Iwould love to own a shirt like that and spread the word here in Little Rhody. :)

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  29. This is wonderful idea! I really love the eay everyone is standing up to Bullying...... My 15 yr old Autistic son stands up to bullying everyday..... if he can do.... I know we as adults can help show our other kids to do it too...... God bless

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  30. Thank You For Getting The Word Out There That Bullying Is Not To Be Tolerated! My daughter Gets Bullied Constantly At School For Being A Big Girl.

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  31. My son is a victim of Bullies. How do I get him one of these shirts. Thank you to Matthew and this site. We need to keep up the work to get Bulling stopped everywhere.

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  32. Thank you Matthew for standing up for your son!! The brighter the spotlight shines on the issue of bullying the less it can be denied and swept under the carpet.

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  33. This is awesome..People need to stand up and reach out to stop bullying, there needs to be education, not only of the children but adults as well. Some children pick up an adults attitudes of others, whether it starts as a non verbal glare, scoff or an adult saying something under their breath. A child picks up on it all. I wish Bullying just ended in schools, but there are many bullies in the adult world as well. We need to educate so the bullied children can learn to stand up and know how to not succumb to being a victim, but a survivor to teach others.

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