Effort to bring anti-bullying assembly to schools continues

October is National Bullying Prevention Month.

One Marquette area woman is trying to spread an anti–bullying message.

Mariah Moore, 19, is from the Grand Rapids area.  She is a world champion martial artist, but she was bullied during childhood.

Catherine Quayle is raising money to pay for Mariah to present anti–bullying assemblies at Marquette County Schools.

“I have had so many emails and Facebook messages and calls, potential donors to parents, telling me the stories of their children, and as a mom, it breaks my heart,” Quayle said.

Quayle is more than halfway to her goal of $7,000.

She has started to schedule the assemblies that Mariah will give during her visit.  The assemblies will take place during the week of November 11.

“I’ve had so many groups, I couldn’t even begin to name all of them, everyone is going to their powers that be to try to secure a donation,” Quayle said.

Quayle is not naive enough to think that one school assembly, or a series of them, will stop bullying.

“But if this young woman can come and reach just one kid, at the end of the day if one kid can go home feeling better about himself or herself, it’s worth it, and that’s why I’m doing this.”

Anti–bullying songs and promotional spots are being aired on television and radio stations across the country this month.

Every Boys and Girls Club in the U.S. is raising flags in October as part of Cartoon Network’s Stop Bullying: Speak Up campaign this month to show that bullying will not be tolerated.