Have you ever felt bullied? Have you ever felt like ending your life because of it? One thing that makes me so incredibly sad is how many pre-teens and young adults in this country are committing suicide because they are feeling hopeless and find no way to live with the problems they are facing. Their lives are gone in a snap--and once they succeed in killing themselves, there is no more helping them. However, I am featuring a nonprofit organization that is working to help bring awareness of this issue to this vulnerable group of the population.
Jeremiah Project 51, which is based in Winnteka, California, was established in 2008 in memory of Jeremiah Lasater, a 14-year old boy who internalized all of the bullying he was facing at school until October 20, 2008, when he ended it all with a single gunshot wound to the head in his high school bathroom. Jeremiah's father was not going to let Jeremiah's legacy end in that bathroom, and he founded this nonprofit in order to put an end to bullying. The organization is also working to prevent cyber-bullying as well. Jeremiah was 6'6" and weighed 275 pounds. He was described as a gentle giant who would never hurt anyone. His family did not know that he was facing this bullying at school. The organization works to remind others that bullying can happen to anyone.
The program works to get a (800)number program in the schools where the students or parents can call in and tell whether they have been bullied or whether they have witnessed somebody being bullied. The school will then have 24 hours to investigate the incident. They also push for the schools to have educational programs in place to get the issue in front of the students. They work to have a zero tolerance policy where bullying isn't allowed, even if the perpetrator thinks it's all in good fun. Last but not least, they work for mentor programs in which older students would be assigned to younger students and they can have a role model to look up to and the older student can check on the student daily.
It is inspiring to read about how Jeff Lasater is helping his son's legacy live on in such a meaningful way. Please check out this web site and tell others about it. The more people know about the issue, the less of a problem it will be. We need to keep the youth of America alive. The future is bright!
Jeremiah Project 51
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