Be a Friend™ clothing features graphics of animated, diverse friendships that children and adults alike will find appealing. Clothing is available online, through school and nonprofit fundraisers, at festivals and in retail stores. A percentage of each sale is donated to organizations that work on bullying prevention or those that help children with special needs.
Be a Friend™ was co-founded by Melissa and Meredith Weiss and the clothing lines can be used by parents, educators and organizations to engage dialogue about the importance of being a friend. “We are two mothers who have seen the effects that bullying can have on children and communities,” says Weiss, “and we wanted to help increase awareness of the issue and help children and families find fun, comfortable ways to talk about these serious issues.”
Research released by the U.S. Department of Justice and Gallup News Services has shown that approximately one-third of parents fear for their child’s physical safety when the child is at school – while 1 in 4 children is bullied at school and 1 in 5 admits to bullying others. Research has also shown that those who bully and those who are bullied appear to be at greatest risk of experiencing loneliness, trouble making friends, lack of success in school, and involvement in problem behaviors such as smoking and drinking.
“Our hope is for schools to be caring and bully-free communities where kindness is cool, cruelty is not, and students know that standing up for someone being bullied or mistreated is not tattling but is the right thing to do,” says Weiss.
For more information, visit http://www.beafriendclothing.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BeAFriendClothing. Follow us on twitter at @BeAFriendCloth.
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