The Fundly video link below shows the past 4 years of the 10 year mission of The Kindness Bus tour.
Please take the time to view it on a computer. It is nearly 6 minutes long, but is time well spent.
fundly.com/the-kindness-bus-tour

I was recently contacted by Tyler Clark of Liahona Academy regarding the bullying. A statement from their website and a post by Tyler are below.

At Liahona, we believe that boys thrive in an environment of “love” and “discipline”. Moreover, we believe that boys respond to the help offered when they feel loved, respected and responsible.

Is Your Child Being Bullied?

There is nothing more heartbreaking then to see your child upset and there is little that you can do. More and more these days we are hearing about bullying cases and it seems to have just become part of daily life for children of certain ages. We need to try all we can to make it so this is not the norm. As parents it is our responsibility to do something about the issue. There are ways to tell if your child is being bullied in order to stop it.

Most of the time children will not come right out and tell their parents they are being bullied. It is up to parents to look for signs that something may be wrongs. This includes listening to what your child has to stay. For example, if your child comes home hungry from school because they did not eat their lunch then ask why. Ask if someone took it. If they come home andsay they want to quit the soccer team ask why. Is someone on the team giving them a hard time?

As children get older it may get harder and harder to actually speak to them. In this case you want to look for signs without them having to even say a word. If their social interactions change then there may be an issue. If they are spending more time secluded at home then it may be wise to ask “Do you want me to take you and your friends to the movies?” If they are hesitant to do anything they would normally do then it is time to confront them directly about bullying.

Physical signs on your child can tell you right away if bullying is taking place. If they come home with scratches or bruises they did not have when the left for school it is important to ask what happen. If they have a torn jacket sleeve make sure to find out how the tore took place. They may be hesitant to give the truth at first but look for signs they are being untruthful.

Bottom line is to be aware of what is happening with and around your child. If you are an active part of their life they will be more likely to come out and tell you when something is going wrong.

Tyler Clark is with Liahona Academy in Hurricane, UT and is committed to helping troubled youth and is an active supporter of Anti-Bullying Month.

The following was a response to a letter I received. My response was meant to inspire this individual. When we realize someone can benefit from our helping hand, wishing and wanting does much of nothing, it’s in the doing that does.

Yes, I agree! Thank you.
I need to update many parts of my website…I started on this mission 4 1/2 years ago because of the Virginia Tech tragedy 6 1/2 years ago, by visiting college campuses with the hopes I could visit younger classrooms. Within 6 months, I started getting invites. I now visit mostly pre-k through 12th grade.
The total number of schools that have “signed up” to make kindness a goal for the school year is now up to 23 schools which will eventually grow exponentially. It is a big undertaking for a school to incorporate this into their school day. I, as well as you believe all schools should embrace this initiative. Which brings me to the last part, the most important part of my email.
You obviously have a passion for this happening. I’m hoping you can change one word in your email. Change the word “should” to “could.”
You have the power to change kids lives by growing this program into schools. In a little over 4 weeks time, I have signed up these 23 schools. You can do this to!! I have the letter of introduction and a PDF of the flyer I send to schools that I can send to you. It just takes time at a computer. Every school that “signs up,” teaches hundreds of kids important core values they will take into adulthood.
Please take the time to consider this opportunity to volunteer for this initiative. Instead of wishing and wanting to change kids lives…you now have been shown that you have the opportunity of how to “do” something about it.
I’m hoping you do. I certainly could use a hand.
Thank you for your interest.
Bob Votruba, and of course, Bogart too

Below is a blog I wrote one year ago during my 4,400 mile bicycle ride for Heroes.
FDNY Commissioner, Salvatore J. Cassano on the right in today’s photo and Chief of Department, Edward Kilduff, sought me out this morning at the 9/11 Memorial to thank me for visiting all 212 Firehouses in the five boroughs of New York City. It was an honor to say the least, being acknowledged by these highest ranking officials.
Dozens of Firefighters from Firehouses I had visited, came by to say hello and thank me once again for honoring the 343 who lost their lives. The 11th annual memorial is way to never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The National Anthem as well as Amazing Grace were sung by a very talented singer. All 343 Firefighter’s names were read along with their rank and a bell tolled after each. Taps were played after a beautiful sermon. Many reflections were shared after the memorial.
I was asked by a reporter as I made my way through the sea of Firefighters in their dress blues, “what good can come from an event like 9/11?” I responded, “to learn love.”

Fifteen schools have “signed up” to take part in having a goal of One Million Acts of Kindness for the school year. This number will continue to grow throughout the school year. Thank you to everyone who is helping with this initiative.
Below is an email I just received from a mother of one of the students from one of the schools.
Hi Bob,  It’s official!  We’re in!  The school principal, Matthew Housh, and the guidance counselor, John Gudgel, both love the idea.  We’re meeting on Monday to discuss how we will implement the One Million Acts of Kindness project in our school.  I like the idea of creating a wall space where we will make a mosaic of pieces of paper that students will write their acts of kindness on. I have a few other ideas too but we’ll have to meet and work out some details.  Our school address is:
Mills Lawn Elementary School
I’m very excited about this project.  I love to move from anti-bullying to pro-kindness.  Kids understand what a bully is, but need more modeling and practice as to how to be inclusive and kind!