By Nichol Zamora, Founder of Casually Dreaming Las Vegas
In 2019, I received a phone call that made my outlook on bullying change forever. It was a call for help from a family who lost their daughter. She had taken her life because of bullying.
This child had special needs that made this story heartbreaking, but when I heard it was at the hands of bullying, I knew right away I needed to do something to stop bullying in our community. Within two weeks, we hosted our 1st Annual Stop the Bullying BBQ! The family couldn’t have been prepared for this emotional or financial tragedy this would take on them, and we hoped to give them all the emotional and financial support we could muster together in such a short time.
The event’s purpose was to help raise funds for the funeral expenses, but it quickly turned into a day for adults & children who felt they were being bullied and needed support from family & friends and the community. A place to give children a safe location to not feel judged, feel safe, and allow the families of these people to feel like they are also in a safe zone.
Bullying comes in various topics: verbal bullying, sexual bullying, cyberbullying, physical bullying, etc. It does not discriminate on who to affect. I firmly believe we need to come together as a community to help each other and help our children. It takes a village to raise children. Let’s be that village together. Too often, bullying leads to suicide. And that is something none of us should ever have to deal with, and it is PREVENTABLE.
Stop the bullying BBQ is on September 11, 2021, at Bob Price Park. September is also National Suicide Prevention Month. We will create a safe zone for those getting or who have been bullied. We will also have community resources, vendors, self-defense kits, and much more.
County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick (District B), Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Full Throttle Law will lend their support and sponsorship and we hope you will join us as well for our 4th annual.
