mobanmarketFRANKFORT, IL — A Frankfort mom has created a nonprofit to eradicate bullying after she says her own daughter was bullied for several years.
In September, Patch wrote about Stephanie Pearson-Davis and her daughter, Sydney. Stephanie staged protests, went in front of a judge and had countless meetings with Frankfort’s District 157-C to get someone to do something about the bullying her daughter faced. Now, she’s created It Could Be Your Kid, a nonprofit whose mission to eradicate bullying through meaningful, relevant programming.
“As I was navigating the process of receiving justice for my child, I realized there was tremendous ignorance and apathy towards bullying, but not enough resources to combat that,” Pearson-Davis said.
Bullying is a confounding national problem that affects one in three school children and causes as many as 160,000 kids to stay home from school every day to avoid their bullies. Their grades may suffer, and they may lose interest in activities they once enjoyed. Kids who are bullied can carry the burden with them throughout their lives, and at more at risk for negative physical school and mental health issues, experts have told Patch as part of a long-running national advocacy reporting project, “The Menace of Bullies.”
More: ‘The Menace Of Bullies’
Pearson-Davis said her family was so deeply affected when Sydney was bullied that she looked for ways to help her daughter and also show how painful bullying is.
“I founded It Could Be Your Kid because I needed a solution that I could not find. Crying and complaining isn’t enough. When I got done being angry, after I wiped my tears, I needed to do something. That’s how It Could Be Your Kid was founded. I couldn’t find a solution, so I created it,” Pearson-Davis said.
So far, the nonprofit has held fun events for children and informative events for parents.
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Pearson-Davis’ daughter Sydney was a recipient of letters from the Be A Friend Project, which writes letters of support from kids to bullying survivors. Pearson-Davis said they “immediately wanted to do it for someone else.” The group has now written cards and letters to a bullying survivor in Florida, and also plans to write letters to a child in North Carolina.
“I specifically founded a not-for-profit as opposed to a corporation because I discovered a deep need in my own community that is largely going unmet,” Pearson-Davis said. “I also discovered that bullying isn’t unique to my personal community. It’s happening everywhere. Children of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientation, physical ability, financial and social status are experiencing bullying. It is a threat to public health and public safety.”
The organization has also presented at schools to discuss the impact of bullying. In December, the group held a parent workshop and discussed the definition of bullying and how to recognize if your child is being bullying and how to intervene when bullying is happening.
Moving forward, Pearson-Davis said the organization will continue to host workshops for parents, students and educators. In March, the nonprofit will host a presentation for parents and educators on the impact of adverse childhood experiences on individuals and the community.
More information about It Could Be Your Kid is found on the organization’s Facebook page.