Message from George

Hi Friends,

I am committed to raising awareness about bullying in our schools and communities. All proceeds raised from this site will go toward offering anti-bullying programs to middle and high school children from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. Please see below for additional details and my plan to raise 300K in 30 days. If you have any questions, call me at 570-780-2452 or visit winwinresolutions.org.

Many of the dynamic communities across our nation are experiencing acts of bullying and intimidation in their schools and I am committed to raising awareness about this frightening issue. Over one third of the children in America have reported that they have been the victim of bullying; can you imagine how many incidents went unreported? You are probably wondering what we can do about this problem.

I plan on raising over $300,000.00 in the month of May to fund anti-bullying programs at over 100 schools. How will I accomplish this? On May 2nd, I will be leaving for a WALK from Scranton, PA to Greensboro, NC (home of Win-Win Resolutions, Inc.). Along the way, I will be stopping in schools and talking with students, teachers, and parents about bullying and what they can do to draw attention to and stop bullying in their communities. I will also be reaching out to political leaders and legislators in the State capitals of PA, MD, VA, NC, and our Nation’s capital. During the walk, I will be Tweeting, posting to Facebook, and giving live updates to news media along the way. During this more than 600 mile walking journey, I will invite victims of bullying to walk with me along the way, so we can show bullies nation-wide that we are unified and committed against violence and bullying in our communities.

I was the victim of child hood bullying throughout my youth. Because of my weight and chronic obesity throughout my childhood and teens, I found myself the focus of constant teasing, intimidation, and a real victim of verbal and violent bullying. Although I reported the bullying to school officials and reached out to my parents for help, little was done and the only consistent advice I received was to “beat up those bullies, since you are bigger than them”. I would not hit or fight. However, I did become obsessed with my personal safety. I began to rely on weapons for my protection. I began collecting knives and throwing stars and even took weapons to school in my backpack out of fear. One day, I even took a machete to school in an over-sized back pack. I never brandished or used a weapon, but the potential for violence was there. No child should ever feel that the best recourse available to them is to carry weapons to assuage their fears because of bullying.

I ultimately dropped out of high school because of this bullying and I blamed my early exit from school on a health issue. I did not get to go to prom or to walk the stage during graduation. School is no place for weapons and the school community is a place where we should all feel safe. I ultimately decided to pursue non-violent conflict resolution as an area of study and as a career. I completed a degree in political science (magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) and earned a Masters degree in Conflict Resolution. I am presently finishing my dissertation and will soon be a graduate of the Doctoral program of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida. I want to make certain that other children do not experience my same plight during their school career and I have committed to helping our nation’s youth by volunteering with organizations like Win-Win Resolutions and organizing the “No More Bullies” Walk and Rally 2011.

HELP ME MAKE A DIFFERENCE TODAY!