Day 10-Charm City Love

Baltimore was an amazing surprise! The day after not knowing where we would lay our heads started just as bad as it could. Traffic getting back to the walk starting point, a forgotten laptop, and a bitchy cameraman without cigarettes. Just as it was looking like we were in for another dicey day, a truck pulled up in front of me in the first mile. A beautiful young women leaned out the window and asked I was the bully walk guy from TV. She said she saw the story on the news and felt like she had to stop. She was a psychologist and dealt with adult bullies and those with anger management everyday. I asked her to give us a short statement on camera for the documentary…she did. It was an amazing and emotional few minutes that will be with me for quite a while. She was bullied and for her, it did get better! She did warn me that I was about to walk through a very questionable section of Baltimore and to be careful.

She wasn’t kidding. I will admit now that I was more nervous there than I was riding through the streets of the West Bank at night a few months ago. There were so many homeless and hopeless…it was sad. Just when I thought this route might be a mistake, another truck pulled up, a work truck, and the two guys asked if I was the “bully man”. I said yes and they handed me a five dollar bill. This happened again and again. This happened all throughout the Inner Harbor.

Day 9-Baltimore Frustration

Today began with a quick jaunt all the way back to Wilkes-Barre PA from the walking trail to complete an anti-bullying program for Myers High School (pictured right).

We presented to 7th and 8th graders and we saw so much emotion from these kids! The Road Scholar Anti-Bullying Truck was there and this was the first time I felt like we were really making a difference.

We blew out of Gennetti’s Best Western as fast as possible after a quick breakfast to catch up with the walk in Parkton, MD. Thanks Genetti’s! The Parkton to Cockeysville track was hilly and hot. Twenty miles brought the NMB crew to Cockeysville, MD and we were interwiewed by WBAL out of Baltimore. They thought the fact that we did not have rooms guaranteed for the week in the area was a great news story. It probably is. We were supposed to have rooms, but par for the course, things change. I am hot, frustrated, tired, and want to start fresh tomorrow.

Chavez with Applebee’s comped our meal and even gave us a few beers. We needed them. We had a great conversation about bullying at the restaurant with strangers at tables close to us. Everyone wants to talk about this! Tomorrow is a press meeting at Inner Harbor and then meetings on Thursday with legislators and the White House.

Day 8-Give Up? Not on your life….

Day 8 started with a phone call from the local paper. We have made it into Maryland and were excited to share the NMB story with a new venue. I conducted a phone interview, but the paper never showed up to take a pic. I am learning that this is typical of the media. Walking 600 miles vs. A House Fire. House Fire WINS!!!

By mile 10 I really started to have doubts about this whole walk. Did it make more sense just to focus on the stories and forget the walk?  We are getting some amazing footage. Fundraising has come to a stand still and to be honest, through rural PA and MD, walking does little to get the word out about bullying. As all these thoughts were swimming around in my head….Lisa started calling. http://christiantaylorfoundation.org/Home_Page.php She is a bullycide Mom and is amazing. She has reached out to the masses, helped with getting us hotels, committed to being in DC and Greensboro, and has been a real lift, just when I needed it.

Oh, yeah….DC. So today, we found out that in addition to 2 Senators and Congressmen, we will be visiting the WHITE HOUSE on Thursday. I am still stunned. More to come on Project DC soon.

We were invited to conduct a program at a school in Wilkes-Barre, PA, so we headed by car back to PA after the walk today. We will be at Meyers High School in the am and then drive back to MD to pick up the walk route for 20 miles. We will be able to reach out to 350 kids tomorrow! This is an exhausting, horrible, amazing, awesome project.

Day 7-Gettysburg and Maryland

Day 7 started as an uneventful walk through several small towns between York PA and the Maryland State line. I was feeling really guilty about not being at home with beautiful wife on Mother’s Day.

We have gotten into a routine with McDonalds lunch of McDoubles and McChicken Sandwiches. The gift cards from McDonalds have been really handy. The phone calls weren’t coming  in and we realized that tonight might be a “sleep in the car” night. At the last minute, Hampton Inn called with the great news that we had a place to rest this evening.

I took a quick break at mile 15 to check out Gettysburg. The Gettysburg National Park ticket center comped our tickets to the theatre, museum, and the cyclorama. Wow! Talk about sacrifice for something you believe in. Those soldiers would walk alot more than 20 miles in a day to head to the front line and those shoes…

After walking 3 miles around the park, I stopped into a campground store for a drink and snack. I shared our story about the walk and the cashier began to cry. She explained that she has a child who is a bully. We talked for over a half hour and we captured some of the most amazing footage to date. The stories about bullying and bullycide are everywhere…

Perkins came through for dinner again. Thanks Perkins!

Day 6-York PA and the Hardest Day yet

The mood of today’s blog is a bit more serious. We began the day with a slow media turn out for the Harrisburg launch from the Capitol. It was a beautiful sunny Satruday and walking over the Susquahanna River was beautiful. I made my way through New Cumberland and ran smack dab into their community festival. Lost of church booths, music, bibles, and food. We shared the No More Bullies story and you would not believe the food that the church ladies kept pushing our way. I had true fellowship today in the New Cumberland. It was on to more mountains and more mountians and more hills and then we got a phone call.

There was a bullycide on Monday in York and the parents and neighbors heard what we were doing and wanted to talk with us. This visit was the hardest thing I have done in my life. If the No More Bullies Walk ended tomorrow, it will still be an amazing success. The walk has become less about the fundraising (which we still need), but has become more about the stories of bullycide and the awareness so this stops happening.

I am still shocked and numb from this story and you need to click on the URL below:

http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/Mother-asks-for-bullying-to-stop-after-she-loses/VRY6Ic5S00KYRg65CneLVA.cspx

Kiss your kids, call your nieces and nephews, reach out to anyone you know who has kids. They need to be heard and feel loved.

Day 4 (yesterday) – No More Bullies Walk

The wife, Tara, me and the kids (Izzy and Gavin) in PA just before I got back on the road walking

Hi, everyone!

I’m a bit late in posting this update folks, but yesterday was a marathon (of walking). :) I walked 26.4 miles from Pottsville through Pine Grove over Blue Mountain to Fredericksburg, PA. Thank goodness I have no bear encounters to report. By the way, the Pottsville Republican Herald did a bang up job on the article about the No More Bullies Walk.

Yesterday I saw the wife and kids as they made their way to Greensboro, NC where I will end my No More Bullies Walk at the end of this month. It was great to see them and they recharged my batteries most definitely! I was also very luck to have my friend and business colleague, Justin Donley, with me yesterday for the whole walk. We both had a good laugh when the pace car died on the side of the road and needed a jump…man vs. machine and I’m winning! :) To conclude the day, I was invited into the Donley Home for some roast, carrots and potatoes and a nice warm bed to sleep in as I charted my next day’s (today) walk.

I have a press conference on the Capital steps of Harrisburg, PA today at 1pm, so I’ll try to post some pictures. More to come this evening on Day 5 of the No More Bullies Walk!

All the best,

George

Day 3 – No More Bullies Walk

Hi, everyone!

It was a balmy 37 degrees when I started out this morning and it has been raining all day. No worries, it didn’t dampen my spirit (pun intended) as I made my way to Pottsville, PA. A shining moment was when I received free night’s stay at the Comfort Inn, which was made even better by free coffee from the Valero Gas Station. Many thanks!!

Today, between walking and answering calls from the media, I had the chance to take a tour of the Yuengling Brewery and was interviews onsite by the Pottsville Republican Herald. I will let you know when the story runs and hopefully can provide you all a link. As I keep my eye on the end of the road, so to speak, I’m reminded of how many kind people I’ve already met along the way.

I had a great conversation with a retired educator about bullying during breakfast and the coffee shop I stopped by also turned into some great discussions. I spoke with folks about suicide prevention and bullying and it was always received well as people listened intently. As I approach Harrisburg, I’m excited about more media interviews and the prospect of meeting with senators from Pennsylvania, as well as the Governor, Tom Corbett.

Talk to you tomorrow,

George

Day 2 – No More Bullies Walk

Hi, everyone!

Well, Day 2 of my 600 mile journey has officially come to a close and to say today was an uphill battle is an understatement. It seemed that I was walking uphill for most of the day after leaving Wilkes-Barre, PA and then I realized….I was actually walking up a mountain.

I ascended an 1800 foot mountain today aptly named Mountain Top where I was greeted by a black bear alongside the road. He was about 2o feet from where I was standing, so thank goodness a tractor trailer drove by and scared him away.

Beyond all the brake dust, dirt and noise from the traffic it was a wonderful walk into Hazleton, PA where I had a press conference with the local media at 4:30pm at the Berger Family Dealership. If you’re a local around Hazleton, stay tuned tonight on WLYN TV as I’ll be one of the lead stories at 10pm. Tomorrow I’m off to Frackville and Pottsville followed by Pine Grove on Thursday and Harrisburg on Friday. Have a great night everyone and remember to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for real time information!

Yours from Pennsylvania,

George

Day 1 – No More Bullies Walk

Today started with a rental truck with two bucket seats instead of a bench seat, which seems like a small inconvenience. Unless there are two car seats, two beautiful kids,  and a Mama Grizzly wife involved. Tara was afraid that I wanted her to let Gavin crawl around on the floor of the truck while she drove 9 hours to Greensboro. Tears, anger, drama, then I started to walk.

I was supposed to have a fellow walker with me from Scranton to Wilkes-Barre, but he was mad that I was running a little late leaving Courthouse Square, so he was short with Tara (who really needed that this morning) and bailed. My videographer was an hour late and by 9am I had personally decided to call off the walk. And then I saw the name “Bradon Bitner” with a heart next to it….my BB bracelet, and I knew it was time to walk. I had just spent May 1st with his mother Tammy and she wanted this walk and its expected outcomes as much as I did.

I started walking and it started to rain. Then it got cold. Then I realized that I still had my coat, hat, and rain gear in Tara’s car because I drove the box rental truck to the starting gate for the NMB walk. I was pissed, wet, cold, and could not get my beautiful wife to answer the phone. At about the same moment my right shoe gel insert herniated. It spooged out the side of the insert heel and it felt like I was walking with gummy bears in my shoe. To keep my mind of the uncomfortable nature of my circumstances, I started counting dead things on the road. I think we should worry less about global warming and more about animal suicide. The world hunger problem may just be resolved with Roadkill. I saw opossums, coons, cats, dogs, the whole damn taxonomy mammalia. I think that is right. A long time since Biology 101. No chupacabras though.

Tara made it with new shoes, my jacket, and the Gibbon…or Gavin, my angelic devil child cherub. I still wanted to give up. Got to a bridge that was down to one lane and came across a road crew. You know the ones. 7 guys and one shovel. The foreman in the truck rolled down the window and said “You are the bully walk guy. I saw you on the news. Good luck! Come here” and he gave me a donation. So did the rest and they were clapping and hooting and hollering. I started to cry. I do not know why. It just hit me, this is bigger than me, than Brandon and Tammy, and it is for all of us. After that, I recommitted. I had a pizzeria give me a free lunch. A coffee stand found me and brought me coffee. My best dealer partner Finance Manager donated a $100. A complete stranger drove by me, saw I didn’t have a bottle of water, and bought me a Gatorade Propel. I have faith in humanity again.

I made it to the Wilkes Barre rally in time to be filmed. We have a news conference at 430 tomorrow and a live interview at 10 pm tomorrow night. Wal-mart has donated new inserts, Old Country Buffet did dinner, and Gennetti’s Best Western did a night’s stay. Thanks Scranton-Wilkes Barre!

The most exhausting part isn’t the walk. It is keeping up with the amazing stories people want to share about bullying. This is what America needs right now….the bully walk.

He’s Off

This morning at 9am, George Ewing began the more than 600 mile journey to raise bullying awareness and funds for anti-bullying workshops!

While walking in Scranton, PA, George walked down a small road and began passing a work crew at a construction site. The workers stopped their work, began clapping their hands and gathered around George while proceeding to make personal donations towards the “No More Bullies” Campaign. It was an emotional reminder of the impact if this cause.

Signing off,

(from the desk of Win-Win Resolutions, Inc.)

~Bobbijean