I was saddened to hear the story of a 14-year-old boy with Autism who was bullied by a group of kids in Bay Village, OH. The boy was going to do the ice bucket challenge but instead of pouring a bucket of ice over his head they filled it with urine, feces and spit. Not only did they do this but they also videotaped it and put it on Instagram. What a horrible thing to do to someone. Bullying can be such an awful thing. As a parent of special needs children, I worry sometimes that they will be bullied and it makes me so sad when I hear it being done to other kids.
The organization, GiveForward heard the story as well and decided to do something to help. They started a fundraiser for the boy. The goal was to raise money for the family as well as creating a page full of support that they can read and be encouraged by. I know it is helpful to know that others, even strangers are on their side and feel for them. That most people are not okay with what happened to their son.
GiveForward provides free online fundraising pages allowing friends and family to raise money directly for a loved one when they need it the most. You Can set up a page in minutes, share it with friends and instantly create a community of support. It is a great way to be able to help other people. They want to be able to prove that there is more love in this world than hate.
In today’s world, 98% of the time we stand by idly and watch life go by. When we see a tragedy or injustice on the news, we say “what a shame” and then we flip the channel and proceed to do NOTHING about it, as we expect someone else will step up and help. There’s an actual psychological term for this. It’s called bystander apathy.
We also know that when people don’t stand around being bystanders, magic can happen. We saw it when a bomb exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon and this nation made a collective decision that we were going to do something about it.
One of the many fundraisers started at that time was for a newlywed couple, Pat and Jess, who lost their legs in the bombing. Friends, family, and so many that were outraged by what happened that day were able to raise almost $900K for them, making sure that they would never have to worry about any of their medical expenses as they deal with their new life with prosthetic legs.
As you can see, GiveForward has done to help people be able to give back.
You too can help by donating to the fundraiser, leaving a message and just choosing love over hate, no matter what you encounter in your daily life. Love goes a lot further than hate ever will.
* Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Last Updated on August 10, 2015 by Julie Provost
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