That’s right! … Kindness.
Gydo is on a mission to lead with kindness to end bullying. How are we going to do that you ask? For starters, this weekend, June 27th, we are enthusiastically sponsoring BAMB! “Bikers and Musicians Against Bullies.”
Beginning at noon on Saturday, bikers will leave on a charity ride from 8 locations in central Indiana and western Ohio culminating in the afternoon in Spiceland, Indiana.
Starting in the afternoon, multiple bands and musicians will take the stage into the evening celebrating and raising monies for anti-bullying programs at Angels & Doves, a nationwide non-profit based in Indianapolis working to prevent bullying injuries and bullying suicides.
Now, before you ask, the answer is “No”. I do not ride a Harley to my job at Gydo nor do any of the staff go around the office playing a musical instrument. But all of us are excited and filled with gratitude to the riders and musicians dedicating their time and efforts to help end bullying.
Many of us hear the term thrown around, sometimes even offhandedly. At times, we may even want to brush it off or worse, numb ourselves to the details or impact on individuals and communities. Another suicide due to bullying? How sad. Oh, another athletic team suspended for hazing? … tough one, shouldn’t have happened.
As a former school-based therapist and licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) at Gydo, I witness and hear the effects of bullying from my clients. I listened to the stories of what surfaces in a person when these actions go to the wayside or even worse are denied ever occurred. Bullying is DEVASTATING.
Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center reports bullying is:
- Behavior that hurts, humiliates, or harms another physically or emotionally
- Targets victims that have difficulty stopping the action, struggling to defend themselves
- A real or perceived imbalance of power
More than likely, all of us have been on both sides of this imbalance of power at one time or another. While bullying may begin in childhood, sadly it can continue into adulthood. How is it possible that even as adults we don’t stop to think of how we impact those around us by our words and actions?
Be a role model.
Teach kids tolerance
Lead with kindness
We encourage you to join us either physically on Saturday (click HERE for details) or by donating to the event.
Donations are simple, just click here –> Angels and Doves donations
