Bullying has been a problem in some fashion or another for many many years, but a riding club out of Mishicot is looking to help children affected. We spoke with four members of the Brotherhood Against Bullying, otherwise known as the 212 Crew, and their President, known as Woodtick, told us they are a non-profit organization that takes in bullied children. “We do a meet and greet, where we all get together, we go to people’s houses, we meet the kids, and offer them a spot in our family,” he explained. “Everything we do is 100% family-oriented.”
Woodtick founded the organization with his wife three years ago and said that they have seen these children blossom over that time. “A lot of times when we meet up with a kid, they are very much alone,” he said. “There are two kids that come to mind, that we met within the past year, that we wouldn’t even get a look. We introduced ourselves, we showed up in force, we introduced them to other kids who have the same issues as them. Now they’re coming to every event, they are boisterous, they joke around with us, and you give them a hug at the end of the day and they say ‘I love you.’ That’s something they have never said before.” We also spoke with members, Beekeeper, Peddler, and Skeeter, and all four of them said they experienced some form of bullying growing up, which led them to join Woodtick in this cause.
Skeeter said for some of these children, this is their only real outlet to express themselves. “How it is with the kids these days, a lot of them don’t feel that they have the resources that they can turn to, and when they do turn to resources, nothing is getting resolved,” she said. “These kids feel like they are alone, and they have no one to turn to. We just let these kids know that they are not alone.”
If you know a child that could benefit from being a part of the Brotherhood Against Bullying, you can get ahold of them on their Facebook Page, or by going to 212Crew.org.
Someone is always monitoring the messages on Facebook, so if you send them a message, Woodtick said they should respond in a matter of minutes.
