WE DELIVERED ON VALENTINE'S DAY WEEKEND, 2022!!
ADORABLE EMILY received your 700+ letters and videos of support ON VALENTINE'S DAY weekend surprised by family at home. This beautiful thank-you from Emily is for YOU ALL, Ambassadors! What strikes the heart is the strength of Emily's empathy for others, despite being bullied. Empathy is Emily's superpower.
~ EMILY'S STORY ~
"Forgiving, beautiful person" (13) continues to help others despite being severely bullied ever since Kindergarten.
Emily (13) is a "loving, caring girl who doesn't hold grudges," according to her mom. She enjoys expressing herself through crafts, painting and drawing and can "turn nothing into something beautiful." The 7th Grader from Maryland also loves to read (a real fan of the Harry Potter series!) and takes great pride in her talent at playing the cello. Despite being bullied since kindergarten, Emily continues to give her heart to others. She is a helper to young kids, including volunteering for a program called "Book Buddies" where she tutors children with reading problems. A bright middle-schooler, Emily's plan is to become a truck driver when she grows up so she can "see the world" - or maybe better to be a plumber so she "never has to leave her kids!"
The first incident of bullying brought to her parents' attention was when a 6-year-old classmate cut her hair with scissors and told her he was going to "chop her up and put her in trash cans." In 4th Grade, a boy punched her in the face (because he thought "it was funny") as she was coming off the bus causing her to fall down the stairs. Throughout her school years, students have verbally bullied her about her weight and often pretend that she smells. When she sits down, the bullies make a point of standing up and moving away, socially bullying her.
Emily is without any true friends who accept her for the beautiful, caring and unique person that she is, but instead has a small group she calls "friends" that regularly threaten "to beat her face in" if she says or does something that they don't approve. She often admits she is "making them mad," blaming herself. (No one deserves to be bullied, yet it is typical for victims to feel that they are the ones doing something wrong.) Now in 7th Grade, Emily doesn't want to go to school. She will question, "Am I really that ugly - or that fat?" Her mom says Emily tends to cope by putting on a brave face and holding the hurt inside.
A YOUTUBE INTRODUCTION OF EMILY by our On-Air Super Teen Ambassador, Brielle Withers, is a good choice for young students to learn Emily's story:
AMBASSADORS, kind Emily's bullying is on-going. She is finding some strength from therapy and her family's love, but IT'S UP TO YOU TO DELIVER THE PEER SUPPORT! Show her the KINDNESS she deserves from peers that are PROUD to know her, and INSPIRED by her courage and spirit! Let's show Emily her voice is important and that she is AMAZING and NOT ALONE!
"CHANGE ONE LIFE AND YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD. IT'S IN YOUR HANDS!"
THE DUE DATE FOR EMILY'S LETTERS EXTENDED TO JANUARY 26TH, 2022!!
Friend Mail must arrive in our NY office for review by the Due Date to be included in her surprise delivery!
Mail "PHYSICAL" letters to:
Be A Friend Project
P.O. Box 30
Beacon, NY 12508
Email letters, videos, scans & Google Drive links, send to:
jennifer@beafriendproject.org
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