On a recent Monday afternoon, children at the Hank Kline Boys & Girls Club in Miami received a special surprise when WWE Superstars and Divas arrived on scene to talk to them about an important issue facing their generation: Bullying.
As parents globally work to eradicate bullying, two new bullying opponents have entered the ring: The WWE and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Recently, the two entities chose Miami as the location to announce a multiyear partnership supporting bullying prevention efforts. Through the partnership, WWE will bring its Be a STAR anti-bullying initiative into BGCA clubs, allowing children to interact with WWE Superstars and Divas to share their personal experiences of dealing with and overcoming bullying.
WWE's chief brand officer, Stephanie McMahon--a mother to three daughters--told The Huffington Post that WWE feels a responsibility to stand up against bullying.
"Giving back is a huge part of WWE's DNA. With the prevalence of bullying and the way it is impacting so many of our youth, WWE feels a responsibility to give back and help spread messaging against bullying. The partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America was a natural fit for us, as WWE has had the opportunity to host a number of Be a STAR anti-bullying rallies at local clubs," McMahon told The Huffington Post.
Since 2011, WWE has hosted over 100 Be a STAR anti-bullying rallies, which have reached 300,000 children globally. Along with bringing that platform to the BGCA, WWE will also utilize its network, television broadcasts, live events, social media and TV productions to generate awareness and raise funds for BGCA.
For the BGCA, the partnership couldn't have come at a better time.
"Young people are grappling with issues of safety, and one of those safety issues is bullying. Everyone can remember the name of their bully, because of the impact they leave. Our goal is to give young people the tools and skills to prevent it from happening to them. Having WWE as a partner is an incredible asset. They bring their Superstars and Divas and universe of communication and messaging to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. We have 4 million kids worldwide at 4,000 clubs who work with our staff daily to stop bullying. When you have WWE Superstars and Divas telling them the same messages, it amplifies what they hear everyday," said Boys & Girls Clubs of America's vice president of marketing, Frank Sanchez.
For many WWE Superstars and Divas, participating in Be a STAR rallies at BGCA clubs is a homecoming of sorts. Many of WWE's top stars grew up enjoying their local BGCA clubs, including WWE chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon (a member of the BGCA hall of fame), Triple H and Titus O'Neil. O'Neil spoke with The Huffington Post about what it means to now, as a WWE Superstar, to give back to children at BGCA clubs.
"I am an alumni of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Delray Beach, Florida. I have some very fond memories of being in the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. My first time going to the movies was with a group from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and we saw 'Ghostbusters.' My first time tying a tie was at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America broadened my horizons from being isolated and exposed me to a different world. Participating in a Be a STAR rally at a Boys & Girls Clubs of America brought my experience full-circle," O'Neil explained.
O'Neil hopes that through partnering with the BGCA, he and other WWE Superstars and Divas can help children understand an important lesson that he learned as a member of his local club.
"I'm trying to accomplish the goal of making everyone around me better, more confident of who they are and more aware of where character can take them. I'm indebted to a lot of people who took a chance on getting me out of bad situations and made me realize there's no such thing as a bad kid. I was labeled as a bad kid. Bump Mitchell, a police officer and volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club, told me at the age of 11 that, 'There's no such thing as a bad kid, but there are bad situations, influences and environments. If you take those same kids and put them in great environments, around great influencers and in better situations, nine times out of ten, they'll become a great person,'" O'Neil reflected.
Like O'Neil, Stephanie McMahon believes that WWE is superbly situated to help address the bullying crisis emerging amongst American youth.
"The most powerful messages are when the audience can relate to them. When you have WWE Superstars an Divas who are incredibly popular celebrities worldwide tell kids they were once one of them, it makes the tools and skills they learn at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America so much more relatable. The kids realize that they shouldn't feel that they can't do something, but instead, they are reinforced with the message to believe in themselves and that everything is possible as long as they work hard and set goals," McMahon said.
As WWE works to tackle bullying with the BGCA, working mother McMahon hopes that her three daughters will take away an important lesson from the partnership.
"I want my kids to take away the same messaging that we reinforce through the partnership: To believe in themselves, to know that anything is possible as long as they work hard for it, to know that they can achieve their dreams and to understand the importance of community and giving back. We won't get very far in this world if we don't support one another. Those who have and those who don't have, we're all people and need to be there for one another," McMahon reflected.