National Anti-Bullying Organization Celebrates Bullying Prevention Month with An “Upstanders Weekend” Including a Bullying Prevention Summit and the Upstanders Gala
Miami, FL (PRWEB) October 07, 2014 -- As part of Bullying Prevention Month in October, National Voices for Equality, Education and Enlightenment (NVEEE), a national anti-bullying organization based in South Florida, will celebrate its 5th anniversary with a weekend designed to empower bystanders to become upstanders by engaging in a critical dialogue on bullying and suicide prevention.
The weekend will kick off Friday October 17, with a sponsor reception at ONE Bal Harbour Resort and Spa. On Saturday, October 18, from 8:30-2:30pm, sponsored by Kaufman, Rossin & Co., and the Be a Star grant (awarded to NVEEE by the WWE and The Creative Coalition), NVEEE, and Florida International University (FIU) Honors College will co-host the 2nd Annual “Be Upstanding” Bullying and Suicide Prevention Summit which is open to the community at large, including students in grades six through twelve, parents, teachers and elected officials from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. On Saturday evening from 7:00pm-11:00pm, join NVEEE in honoring local heroes at the “Upstanders Gala” held at Surfcomber Miami South Beach.
The highlight of the weekend is the “Sparkle In Purple,” Upstanders Gala, benefitting NVEEE’s Bullying Prevention Programs in K-12 schools, includes entertainment, local VIPs and celebrities, city officials, a silent auction and much more. The gala will spotlight local heroes and celebrities for their unwavering support of the organization. Honorees include Ashley Marie Lapadula with WLTV - Univision 23, Cecilia Gutierrez - Abety and Miami Children’s Initiative, Roxy Sora and the YES Institute, Robin Schwartz and The Aqua Foundation for Women, SunServe Youth Services, Wells Fargo, and Rachel Russell, founder of Style Saves.
Proceeds from the gala will allow NVEEE to continue providing free and customizable bullying prevention curriculum to schools who either lack, or have limited funding for programs. “We are excited to celebrate 5 years of providing quality and much needed programs to parents, teachers, and students across the nation. During the 2013 summit, we learned from students in our local South Florida community that cyberbullying was their primary fear and the most undesirable type of bullying they could ever face. The rise of social media has taken bullying from a silent epidemic to front and center. Many youth who are faced with cyber bullying today are not equipped with the tools to properly compartmentalize or even know what to do when faced with the situation. NVEEE's role has been not only to raise awareness, but to provide education and resources for families and school systems. NVEEE's focus is always on prevention education instead of reaction tactics and crisis management. In honor of all the lives impacted and lost due to bullying, we were inspired by students in our Peace Ambassador program to launch the #bUPSTANDING media campaign , urging everyone to use #BUpstanding and share stories of when they were an upstander vs a bystander,” says NVEEE’s Executive Director, Jowharah Sanders.
Additional campaign information can be found at http://www.NVEEE.org.
As part of its focus on prevention education, this past summer the organization hosted its inaugural five day Peace Ambassador Leadership Summit for students ages 14-18 at Florida International University. One hundred scholarships were co-sponsored by FIU’s Center for Leadership and Service, Kaufman, Rossin & Co., Wells Fargo, and a grant provided by the Be a STAR anti-bullying campaign (founded by WWE and The Creative Coalition) to help not only students who have been bullied, but also students who want to learn leadership and social skills and become empowered to be upstanders as NVEEE Peace Ambassadors. The conference was an amazing success and many of those students will return to participate as panelists on October 18.
General admission to the Upstanders Gala is $50. VIP prices begin at $100.00, and private cabanas are available for groups of 10 at $1,200.00 each.
To REGISTER for the free summit visit http://tinyurl.com/py5ykeo
Florida International University
11200 SW 8th St, Room SIPA 125
Miami, FL 33174
To purchase tickets to the Gala visit http://tinyurl.com/kkyxcmf
Surfcomber Miami South Beach
1717 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139
About NVEEE
NVEEE is a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in October 2009 with a mission to prevent bullying, violence and suicide among youth families and communities through direct service, mentoring and prevention education. NVEEE has reached nearly 20,000 teachers, students, parents, and community leaders through its Mentoring Program, Peace Ambassador Program, After School Program, and its signature “Be Upstanding” School-wide Bullying Prevention Program.
Headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, with offices in Miami, NVEEE directly impacts the South Florida community, and now their work is expanding to communities in California, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico.
For more information, sponsorship opportunities or media inquiries, please contact CityBash Group Public Relations, Marketing & Events via email at [email protected] or to make a donation, please email [email protected] or call 954.561.2626. Online donations are accepted on the website at http://www.NVEEE.org.
Jowharah Sanders, NVEEE, http://www.nveee.org, +1 (954) 561-2626, [email protected]
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