October is Stop Bullying Month and in honor of every single person who has suffered the torment of a bully, the Children’s Tumor Foundation will be shining a light on this critical problem by increasing awareness as we partner with individuals (it could be you!) who will do livestream fundraising events on October 15th and throughout the month of October.
Did you know that in the US alone,1 in 3 students are bullied at school? It’s been reported that 160,000 kids per day even skip school for fear and anxiety of being bullied*. In fact, this subject hits close to home for us at CTF because many kids with NF are the victims of bullying in addition to the numerous other challenges they face every day living with NF.
During the Virtual NF Camp this past July, campers shared their personal experiences, thoughts and fears about bullying. The peer support was inspiring, and now after hearing from our NF campers, we knew we needed to do something. That was when we decided to launch a campaign to stop bullying for all children of all ages by increasing awareness of the impact it has while fundraising for research that will make life better for NF patients everywhere.
We also learned about several examples of NF Heroes who were bullied throughout their lives from the work of talented artist and NF Mom, Rachel Mindrup. She writes, “Through this series of paintings, I am the conduit, transforming genetic complications into something secondary and portraying the individual personalities first. Using social media as a connection, I hope to raise funds, educate, and ideally find a cure for NF.” Rachel told us about Jennifer, who has worked hard to overcome after years of bullying. An excerpt from her bio:
“Jennifer struggled in school both academically and socially. She endured years of bullying from not only peers, but also some teachers. One teacher in particular, who thought she was not trying hard enough, told her parents that she was a waste of educational money and teacher’s time and was not going to amount to anything. However, the more she was looked down upon, the more determined she became to graduate and be successful in her adult life.” Her entire bio can be found here.
And Brian…
“Brian always felt like an outcast. He struggled to make and keep friends. Not being able to cope with NF, he often acted out in defiance. Bullies terrorized him. Brian was once jumped on the way home while riding the school bus. He was beaten with chains while another teen stomped on his head, resulting in a concussion. By 10th, grade Brian had become disconnected from others, often not speaking.” Brian’s bio can be found here.
Rachel will be joining other streamers on October 15 in a livestream gallery opening taking place at Lied Art Gallery, Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She will take us on a virtual art tour of her “Neurofibromatosis and a Portrait of 1 in 3000,” lead an informal artist talk about her NF portraits, and share the stories behind her paintings.
You too can partner with us by planning a charity live stream event and raising funds to find a cure for the millions of people living with neurofibromatosis. We are currently looking for content creators, influencers, and aspiring streamers to join us as we Connect2Fight to stop bullying. Because so many of our NF Heroes face this issue, we want to use the power of the virtual community to raise funds and awareness to combat it. Join us, or ask your favorite streamer to join! Need ideas for what to stream? Click here for a list of some of the events that have already taken place.
For more information go to ctf.org/connect2fight or email livestream@ctf.org Together we can #EndNF and #StopBullying
