Anti-bullying

Redbirds, MLB Make Donation to Memphis Public Schools

February 18, 2017

(Roger Cotton/Memphis Redbirds)

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The Memphis Redbirds Community Fund, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, has made a donation to Pitch In For Baseball to benefit Memphis Public Schools as part of MLB’s biennial RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) Institute held this week in Memphis.

The donation will provide $25,000 worth of baseball and softball equipment to help 460 students get on the field, benefitting 24 baseball and softball teams at 16 schools in the Memphis area.

“We are very proud to be able to make this donation to Memphis Public Schools through the Redbirds Community Fund,” Redbirds President and General Manager Craig Unger said. “One of our main missions is to help better our community, and the Redbirds Community Fund is one of the leading vehicles for how we can use our position to do so. We look forward to being able to do more to benefit our community and the Mid-South as a whole.”

The week culminated today with a free PLAY BALL event at AutoZone Park, where area children were able to play on the field and have fun learning skills and celebrating the love of the game. Event participants also received a PLAY BALL t-shirt and a bat and ball set to continue the play at home.

The RBI Institute covers topics such as league operations, players’ health on and off the field (i.e., Pitch Smart, anti-bullying and drug-free lifestyles), educational programs, best practices, coaches training, league finances, equipment procurement and more.

The Redbirds have hosted an RBI site since 1998, where boys and girls ages 6 through 16 join with children from their own community to form teams which travel throughout the city to play each other. Memphis RBI began with six locations and has grown to serve 12 communities and over 1,000 participants.

The mission of the Memphis RBI program is to increase participation and interest in baseball and softball among underserved youth through instructional and competitive play, while encouraging youth to achieve academically, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and contribute positively to the community.

Pitch In For Baseball provides new and gently-used baseball and softball equipment to boys and girls in the United States and around the world who want to play ball but lack the equipment to do so. PIFB reduces barriers to play and promotes youth development by providing equipment directly to leagues, schools and organizations around the world to start, continue, and/or expand their programs. Over the past 10 years, PIFB has donated more than $5 million worth of equipment to 500,000 under-resourced kids in nearly every state and 80 different countries.

For more information on Pitch In For Baseball, visit www.pifb.org.

Schools Receiving Equipment

American Way Middle School (Baseball)

American Way Middle School (Softball)

Bellevue Middle School (Baseball)

Colonial Middle School (Baseball)

Colonial Middle School (Softball)

Grandview Heights Middle School (Baseball)

Hamilton Middle School (Baseball)

Hamilton Middle School (Softball)

Havenview Middle School (Baseball)

Havenview Middle School (Softball)

Hickory Ridge Middle School (Baseball)

Hickory Ridge Middle School (Softball)

Highland Oaks Middle School (Baseball)

Kate Bond Middle School (Softball)

Kingsbury Middle School (Softball)

Kirby Middle School (Baseball)

Memphis Grizzlies Preparatory Charter School (Baseball)

Memphis Scholars Raleigh-Egypt Middle School (Baseball)

Memphis Scholars Raleigh-Egypt Middle School (Softball)

Oakhaven Middle School (Baseball)

Oakhaven Middle School (Softball)

Raleigh-Egypt High School (Softball)

Raleigh-Egypt Middle/High School (Baseball)

Riverview Middle School (Baseball)

About the Redbirds Community Fund

The Redbirds Community Fund benefits area youth organizations by offering outreach programs, providing baseball instruction, giving opportunities for children to attend professional baseball games and to interact with professional players and personnel, providing and refurbishing area facilities for youth activities, and providing financial support to many worthy area Section 501(c)(3) organizations that effectively and efficiently serve the needs of children in the community.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

Bully Busters Anti-Bullying Program Returns

January 16, 2015

Elementary School Assembly Program Expands to Wake and Orange Counties

The Durham Bulls have announced the return of the successful anti-bullying program “Bully Busters,” which debuted in February of 2014. The initiative, in which the Bulls provide free school assemblies to raise awareness for a priority issue in elementary schools, will again travel to schools throughout Durham County, while expanding this year to Wake and Orange counties as well. ARS Rescue Rooter has partnered with the Bulls to present the program in its second year.

Using beloved mascot Wool E. Bull as the driving force, each interactive assembly engages students in recognizing bullying behavior and exploring what to do should they witness or experience bullying. At the conclusion of the 20-minute presentation, students are asked to take the “Bully Buster Pledge” at home with their families, and students who do so will be rewarded with two complimentary tickets to a select Durham Bulls game this spring. Additionally, the Bulls provide teachers and students with take-home activity books, further reinforcing the anti-bullying message.

In its inaugural campaign, the program reached over 10,000 students throughout Durham County. The success from 2014 has prompted growth into Wake and Orange counties in 2015, nearly tripling the number of schools the Bulls will visit in the initiative’s second year.

“We’re thrilled to bring back this extremely successful program for 2015,” Bulls General Manager Mike Birling said. “In our first year we reached a large number of students for a very pertinent, meaningful issue, and we’re excited to grow Bully Busters even further throughout the Triangle.”

Bully Busters, presented by ARS Rescue Rooter, will run from mid-January through the end of March. School administrators seeking more information about booking a Bully Busters assembly can do so by visiting the Bully Busters webpage.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Durham Bulls. Click here to view the original story.

Legends in the Community: Big L is busy

September 25, 2014

Big L will be in Richmond October 1 and Corbin October 8 in addition to his visits in the Lexington area.

This time of year is sometimes called the “off-season” in minor league baseball, and though the Lexington Legends 2014 season is over, it’s anything but time off for the Legends’ Big L.

Big L has appearances planned in Richmond October 1 and Corbin October 8, in addition to events in the Lexington area. He and other staff members will represent the Legends at the following locations through October 9:

Wednesday, October 1 – 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. Anti-bullying rally at Madison Middle School, 101 Summit Street, Richmond.

Wednesday, October 8 – 7:15 a.m. Big L will help Lexington’s Ashland Elementary School celebrate International Walk to School Day, on which students are encouraged to walk or bike to school as a means of promoting healthy habits, a cleaner environment and attention to safety.

Wednesday, October 8 – 1-1:30 p.m. Big L and Pee Wee will appear at a Project Fit America event presented by Baptist Health Corbin at Lynn Camp Elementary School, 366 N. Ky. 830, Corbin.

Thursday, October 9 – 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Health Fair Party, Leestown Middle School, 2010 Leestown Road, Lexington.

“The off season is an exciting time for the Legends, as it provides us the opportunity to spend more time immersed in the community,” said Sarah Bosso, the Legends’ director of community relations and special events. “Having the opportunity to participate in a variety of events throughout Central Kentucky allows the Legends and Big L to assist in fun ways to bring attention to important issues and organizations. We love this time of year!”

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Lexington Legends. Click here to view the original story.

Tri-City ValleyCats Host First Ever Education Day

June 16, 2014

ValleyCats integrate education, anti-bullying as it relates to baseball

The Tri City ValleyCats will host its first ever Education Day at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on Tuesday, June 17 at 10 a.m. to support the organization’s mission to create “Fans for Life” in a safe and clean environment.

The ValleyCats created a curriculum that includes character development and anti-bullying facets, as well as traditional educational subject matter as it relates to the game of baseball. This curriculum was available online to schools throughout the Capital Region this spring and will culminate in an all-encompassing educational field trip when the ValleyCats host the Lowell Spinners.

The ValleyCats existing “Strike Out Bullying” program, with BlueShield of Northeastern New York, focuses on educating students about the importance of treating others equally and standing up for their peers. This has included in-school assemblies and students attending Education Day will be encouraged to recite the ValleyCats “Peace Pledge” as a part of the day’s curriculum.

“We are very excited to host this first-time event at the stadium,” Assistant General Manager Matt Callahan said. “Our team has tried to create an event where students have the opportunity to learn outside of the classroom, spend time with peers and enjoy an educational day at the ballpark.”

Additional activities will provide students with real world applications in the areas of mathematics, history and geography. Several local organizations have supported this initiative and helped make these field trips possible for Capital Region schools. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is a lead partner for the Education Day event and supports educational opportunities throughout the area.

“At Regeneron, we are committed to a better future,” a Regeneron representative said. “This promise is at the core of our mission to discover and develop new medicines, which allows us to deliver greater value to our patients, employees and communities. We believe that education, particularly science, technology, engineering and math is a key component to this development. As such, we are proud to support the ValleyCats first annual Education Day.”

Additional support was provided by Transfinder in support of Schenectady schools and St. Peter’s Health Partners’ Sexual Assault & Crime Victims Assistance Program in a partnership with several Rensselaer County Schools.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Tri-City ValleyCats. Click here to view the original story.

Cutters Launch Anti-Bullying School Assembly Program

April 28, 2014

“Bully Busters Unite” Outreach Initiative to Raise Awareness in Elementary Schools

The Williamsport Crosscutters are proud to announce the launch of Bully Busters Unite, a new anti-bullying program aimed at raising awareness for a priority issue in local elementary schools.

The program, underwritten by Susquehanna Health, utilizes the star power of the team’s beloved mascot “Boomer”, who will engage students in recognizing bullying behavior and exploring what to do should they witness or experience bullying of any kind. The Crosscutters will provide free school assemblies and incentivize students with the goal of making a strong impact in the fight to stop bullying before it starts.

“While the Williamsport Crosscutters are proud of the success of our award-winning Grand Slam Reading Program that has been in existence for 19 years, reaching over 10,000 students per year, we have been searching for another worthwhile school outreach program to add to our arsenal that we thought could make an impact,” said Gabe Sinicropi, the team’s Vice-President of Marketing and Public Relations. “With Bully Busters Unite, we feel we’ve found that program and we couldn’t do it without the support of our friends at Susquehanna Health.”

Speaking about their involvement, Susquehanna Health Director of Corporate Communications Tracie Witter stated, “Susquehanna Health knows that healthy behaviors also include positive actions toward each other. Working with the Crosscutters to reinforce the value of positive behaviors to area youth supports our mission to create a healthier community.”

Developed with the assistance of Bruce Productions, a production company based in Wilmington, Delaware, the Bully Busters program kicks off this May in Williamsport area schools and continues this fall in elementary schools throughout the Susquehanna Valley.

Each assembly will star “Boomer” and Cutters staff members, who will engage students in recognizing bullying behavior and exploring what to do should they witness or experience bullying of any kind.

At the conclusion of each interactive assembly, students will be asked to take the “Bully Buster Pledge” both in school and at home with their families. Students who do so will be rewarded with two complimentary tickets to a select Cutters game in June. The Crosscutters will also provide teachers and counselors with a take-home activity book for students, further reinforcing the importance of the anti-bullying message.

Kirk Felix, Principal of Stevens Elementary School in Williamsport said, “We at Stevens Primary in the Williamsport Area School District are happy to assist the Crosscutters with launching their Bully Busters Unite program. ‘Developing responsible citizens through excellence in education’ is our District’s mission statement. We appreciate the Cutters interest in supporting our students, staff and families with learning how to take responsibility when it comes to bullying. The children love Boomer and we look forward to him helping teach children and their parents about appropriate behaviors.”

School administrators interested in booking a Bully Busters Unite assembly can contact Sarah Budd, the Crosscutters Director of Community Relations at (570) 326-3389 x1200 or sarah@crosscutters.com.

The Crosscutters 2014 season opens on June 13 at Susquehanna Bank Park at Historic Bowman Field. Season tickets, bonus books and group packages are currently available and can be purchased online at www.crosscutters.com or by calling the Cutters at (570) 326-3389.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Williamsport Crosscutters. Click here to view the original story.

Hillsboro Hops and Barley Lead Anti-Bullying Campaign at Local Schools

March 27, 2014

“Strike Out Bullying” All-Stars to be Honored at Hops Home Games this Summer

Hillsboro, OR (March 27, 2014) – The Hillsboro Hops (@HillsboroHops) and their mascot Barley (@BarleytheHop) are leading an anti-bullying campaign in Hillsboro schools the team announced today. The program, titled, “Strike Out Bullying” with the tag line “I stand with Barley against Bullying” will launch this spring.

Currently there are 10 Hillsboro schools totaling over 5,000 students that have signed up to host anti-bullying assemblies with Barley. All students participating in the assemblies will receive a free ticket to a Hops game and a bumper sticker that says, “I Stand with Barley Against Bullying”.

The Hillsboro Hops will hold four anti-bullying games this summer (6/23, 7/14, 7/29, 8/20) and students participating in the “Strike Out Bullying” campaign will receive free tickets to one of the four games.

All students will have a chance to nominate an “All-Star” student – fellow students who stand up to a bully or perform an act of kindness. The Hops will collect “All-Star” nominations for each grade and will honor the recipients on the field at a Hops home game this season.

To register your school for a “Strike Out Bullying” campaign with Barley, call the Hillsboro Hops office at 503-640-0887 or email Ariel Wagner at arielw@hillsborohops.com.
This article originally appeared on the official website of the Hillsboro Hops. Click here to view the original story.

San Jose Giants to Host Second Annual Strikeout Violence Night

May 10, 2013

Country singer Matt Kennon returns to lead Junior Giants in Peace Pledge Ceremony

SAN JOSE, CA– On Friday, May 31, the San Jose Giants will present the second annual Strikeout Violence Night at Municipal Stadium. The evening will once again center on an anti-bullying message. The San Jose Giants are excited to welcome back country artist Matt Kennon who performed at the inaugural Strikeout Violence Night. Festivities will include a pregame performance by Kennon, presented by KRTY, and a Junior Giants Peace Pledge Ceremony. Following the pregame events, the San Jose Giants will take on the Stockton Ports at 7:00 PM.

Country rocker Matt Kennon is best known for his Top 20 hit “The Call,” shining a spotlight on the conversation to help prevent suicide. Since performing at last year’s inaugural Strikeout Violence Night, Kennon began a “Stop the Bull” campaign. This effort has taken him to six states and 55 schools, where he has impacted the lives of over 100,000 children. His single, “You Had to Pick On Me” was inspired when Matt ate lunch at the school where his sister works as a teacher’s aid and saw a young boy having a tough time. This experience led Kennon to take a stand against bullying. As part of this campaign, Kennon is available to attend one school in the San Jose area on May 31, prior to performing at Municipal Stadium. For more information, please contact Juliana Paoli, San Jose Giants Chief Marketing Officer, at (408) 380-4505 or email juliana@sjgiants.com.

“We are honored to be bringing Matt Kennon back to Municipal Stadium for the second annual Strikeout Violence Night,” said Paoli. “Kennon’s message last year not only impacted the hundreds of students in attendance, but spread through the community. It also spawned his ‘Stop the Bull’ campaign that has brought national attention to the preventable tragedy of bullying. This night is about driving home the message that the rules we learn on the field can be applied to all of our lives and we are excited to have Kennon be part of the evening.”

Junior Giants, the flagship program of the Giants Community Fund, is a free, non-competitive and innovative baseball program for boys and girls ages 5-18 years old. Beyond baseball, Junior Giants focuses on the Four Bases of Character Development – Confidence, Integrity, Leadership and Teamwork – and offers programs in Education, Health and Violence Prevention. Each of the 20,000 Junior Giants in the program take the Junior Giants Peace Pledge vowing to Strikeout Violence in their communities by preventing bullying, standing up for what is right, praising people and helping others. Prior to the May 31 game, Junior Giants will take the Peace Pledge on the field and receive Strikeout Bullying wristbands. For more information, please visit jrgiants.org.

Friday, May 31 will also be a KRTY Family Friday at the ballpark. On May 30, Matt Kennon will perform An Evening of Music that Matters, with special appearance by Morgan Frazier, at Club Rodeo in San Jose. Country artist Morgan Frazier is a 19 year-old who has been performing since the age of five, sold her first CD when she was nine and signed a record deal at 16. Her not yet released single “Hey Bully”, was inspired by her experience as a bullied child. She is a People’s Choice Award winner who is best known for her debut single, “Yellow Brick Road”, which she released on Curb Records’ sister label, Sidewalk Records. For tickets and more information on this performance please visit krty.com. All fans who purchase a ticket will also receive free admission to the Strikeout Violence Night game on May 31.

Great seats are still available for Strikeout Violence Night. For tickets, visit the Municipal Stadium Box Office, call (408) 297-1435 or visit sjgiants.com. The game will also be broadcasted live on Comcast Hometown Network Digital Channel 104.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the San Jose Giants. Click here to view the original story.

Knights Stadium is Now a “Bully-Free” Zone

March 4, 2013

The first Education Day game was a success! (Erica Caldwell/Charlotte Knights)

(Fort Mill, S.C.) — Knights Stadium, home of the Charlotte Knights since 1990, is set to become a “bully-free” zone during the upcoming 2013 season as the Knights and The Foundation for Respect Ability are introducing an Anti-Bullying program that will focus on educating kids, teachers, and parents on the importance of living a bully-free life. The program will feature two 11:15 a.m. games during the month of April focused on Education Days for the surrounding school districts of North Carolina & South Carolina. The first game is Tuesday, April 16 and the second game is set for Wednesday, April 24. Both games are presented by Duke Energy, Barton Malow, and Midrex Technologies, Inc.

‘Dads team with Children’s Advocacy and Protection Center to Keep Kids Safe

September 6, 2012

L.P. Frans Stadium was the recent site of a Yello Dyno Training session where children ages 4 through 10 learned strategies to keep themselves safe. Yello Dyno teaches children about tricky situations such as child abduction, molestation, bullying, and other forms of victimization by utilizing an active, but non-fearful format of instruction.

Children attending the training learned that a “tricky person” may come in the form of someone they don’t know or, more often, someone they do know. Kids were empowered by recognizing when someone, stranger or not, is trying to trick them into doing inappropriate things. The program taught the kids how to approach the appropriate people for help if they are lost, and learned the right questions to ask when faced with difficult situations.

Crawdad’s General Manager, Mark Seaman had this to say about their decision to sponsor the training, “We appreciate the Children’s Advocacy and Protection Center of Catawba County allowing us to partner with them on this program. We feel like the ballpark is the perfect environment to educate our children on the potential dangers that unfortunately exist in our world. We feel every child should be exposed to this type of information and we challenge all groups that have involvement with kids to reach out to the Children’s Advocacy and Protection Center of Catawba County and find out how they can get involved and get their kids access to these programs”.

CAPC Executive Director, Deborah Johnson agreed with Seaman saying, “I am excited about what happened at the event and look forward to next year’s training at the stadium and believe we will have the opportunity to train even more kids. Keeping kids safe is the job of all of us and I am especially thankful for folks like Mark and all of the Crawdads staff who are committed to giving back to the community.”

Deborah adds that none of the trainings would be possible without volunteers like Dr. Stacy Briggs, Pediatrician, Yello Dyno Trainer and CAPC Board Member, who introduced “Yello Dyno” to the community several years ago. Stacy, along with Josh Page, owner of Hickory Academy of Martial Arts, and volunteer Debbie Dunn are also big believers of how empowering this training is to our kids. The Crawdads look forward to holding another training session next season.

This story originally appeared on the official website of the Hickory Crawdads. Click here to read the original story.

Chiefs to host Strike-Out Bullying Night

May 9, 2012

Local organization to educate fans about teen bullying

Strike-Out Bullying Night on Wednesday aims to "Stop the Hate, Spread the Hope." — Strike-Out Bullying Night on Wednesday aims to “Stop the Hate, Spread the Hope.”

The Syracuse Chiefs, Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, are proud to host Strike-Out Bullying Night at Alliance Bank Stadium tonight before and during the team’s game with the Durham Bulls.In collaboration with a movement led by West Genesee High School students known as “Stop the Hate, Spread the Hope,” Strike-Out Bullying Night aims to educate Chiefs fans about teen bullying, support all those who have been or are being bullied, and to simply raise awareness for an important issue that is often overlooked.

Chiefs fans in attendance for tonight’s 7:00 p.m. game will learn how they can play a role in putting an end to bullying and show their solidarity by signing a peace pledge. Stop the Hate, Spread the Hope fundraising merchandise will also be available for sale at Strike-Out Bullying Night.

Stop the Hate, Spread the Hope was founded in 2010 by Wendy Cross, Michael McCartney, Nick Longo, and Brett Henderson, who are now seniors at West Genny. To learn more about Stop the Hate, Spread the Hope, visit the organization’s website www.sthsquared.com, Facebook page (www.facebook.com/sthsquared), and Twitter at twitter.com/@sthsquared.

Tickets for tonight’s game, and all Chiefs home games, can be purchased in person at the Chiefs Ticket Office at Alliance Bank Stadium, by calling 315-474-7833, or online at SyracuseChiefs.com.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Syracuse Chiefs. Click here to view the original story.

Drillers Announce Anti-Bullying Program with TPS

November 3, 2011

Hornsby to Visit Elementary Schools with Anti-Bullying Program

Hornsby is joined by Andre'a Murrell of Williams, Jacqueline Gallegos of The Parent Child Center, Dr. Keith Ballard the Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools and Heather Johnson of the Tulsa Metro Chamber to announce an Anti-Bullying program that will be presented at TPS Elementary Schools. (Rob Gardenhire) — Hornsby is joined by Andre’a Murrell of Williams, Jacqueline Gallegos of The Parent Child Center, Dr. Keith Ballard the Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools and Heather Johnson of the Tulsa Metro Chamber to announce an Anti-Bullying program that will be presented at TPS Elementary Schools. (Rob Gardenhire)

The Tulsa Drillers and the Tulsa Public Schools jointly announced today that the baseball club is joining the Tulsa Metro Chamber’s Partners In Education program to deliver an anti-bullying curriculum to elementary schools in the district.

The Drillers mascot, Hornsby, will visit children in grades K-6, accompanied by The Parent Child Center of Tulsa’s “Kids on the Block” puppets. These child-sized puppets, accompanied by performer Jacqueline Gallegos, will present a bully awareness skit. Kids on the Block are frequent visitors to classrooms to teach children how to protect themselves in difficult situations, including bullying, “stranger danger” and physical abuse.

“The Tulsa Drillers take sportsmanship behavior very seriously, both on and off the field,” said Mike Melega, general manager of the Tulsa Drillers. “We think it is important to educate students early about healthy responses to bullying, and how to recognize it. Hornsby will be a great advocate for students as he makes his way into elementary schools with the Kids on the Block.”

“TPS is thankful to the Tulsa Drillers and the Tulsa Chamber for helping us to shed light on bullying in our schools,” said Dr. Keith Ballad, superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools. “Our teachers and principals are always on the look-out for bullying behavior, as it takes many different forms. As vigilant as we are, however, the sad fact is that we have to equip students to be supportive of each other and to seek help before trouble escalates. Our goal is to create a safe learning environment for all students.”

Bullying is a problem of national proportions, as the spotlight has been cast recently on a number of high-profile incidents. Recent research has shown that over 20 percent of students feel unsafe at school due to direct or observed teasing, threats, bullying and other stressors.

Studies have also shown that children who have been identified as a bully by age eight are six times more likely to have a criminal conviction by age 24. Children who are bullies may continue to be bullies as adults, and are more prone to becoming child and spouse abusers.

At TPS, reported instances of bullying have increased in recent years, in part due to better tracking. During the 2010-11 school year, the TPS board strengthened its policy on bullying, and the district has invested heavily in staff development for teachers and administrators to aid in their awareness of bullying behaviors.

Schools interested in learning more about the Anti-Bullying Program, can contact Jacqueline Gallegos with The Parent Child Center of Tulsa at (918) 699-0550.

This article originally appeared on the official website of the Tulsa Drillers. Click here to view the original story.