SOMA Living October 2022

MALLORY’S ARMY

October is national Anti-Bullying month and locally based “Mallory’s Army” is at the forefront of this movement. “Mallory’s Army” was formed in July of 2017 after the tragic, unforeseen death of Mallory Rose Grossman. At the young age of 12, Mallory took her life after months of bullying, both at school and online. One warm summer day, a family friend sat by the creek Mallory played in, trying to grapple with the loss of Mallory. She sat with the now famous blue band on her wrist, and decided to put it around one of the rocks from the stream. She rested the stone on her knee and took a quick photo. This picture, now seen by people from all over the world, became a symbol and reflection of Mallory’s Army’s goal: to use these blue bands, emblematic of love and kindness, to cover the ‘stones’ of the world. Words can be just as hurtful as sticks and stones, so wearing the blue bracelet or using it to wrap a stone, helps build awareness of the organization and its work. The mission of Mallory’s Army Foundation is to empower kids to be amazing people, educate parents, enrich schools with anti-bullying programs, and enhance communities to bring people together. At the center of this mission is sharing Mallory’s story. Many pieces come together to tell Mallory’s story, honor her memory and represent Mallory’s Army Foundation. Butterflies, forget-me-nots, the color blue, and Mallory’s day, are all symbols linked to Mallory and part of the language used by the Foundation to achieve its mission. I addition, Where Angels Play foundation built a playground at Rip Van Winkle Campgrounds in her honor. The playground incorporates many elements listed above, such as the color blue, the butterflies, and more. To find out how to bring Mallory’s Army anti-bullying programs to your school, or support the mission by donating to the Foundation, please check out https://mallorysarmy.org/.

Don’t Just Teach Kindness, Be Kindness! United Together in the Fight Against Bullying Mission: • Empower kids to be amazing people • Educate parents • Enrichment programs for schools • Enhance communities and bring people together

973-440-8657 info@mallorysarmy.org

OCTOBER 2022 | SOMA LIVING 27

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