Almost every kid admitted to being bullied or being the bully.
More than 500 children inside Yankee Stadium’s Great Hall yesterday listened as Kirk Smalley spoke about his son, Ty. On the verge of tears, he painted a vivid picture of his son’s suicide in 2010 as a result of being harassed by another child for more than two years.
Three years later, Smalley and his family continue to suffer from Ty’s death. So they travel the globe preaching about the impact bullying has on a child, on a family, on a community.
Stand for the Silent (SFTS), the organization the Smalley’s established with the help of 68 students from Upward Bound, an outreach program protesting school bullying, has addressed more than 1,000 children, and more than 300 families.
SFTS’s motto is “I Am Somebody.” Yesterday the audience repeated the phrase several times.
“You never know who this can help. A lot of these kids have never been told they are somebody,” Smalley said.
After giving lectures four or five times a day for the past three years, Smalley said he is grateful to work with the Yankees, because they can reach and impact so many people.
“I can pretty much pick the kids, who need a little something,” Smalley said.
As with other HOPE Week events, the Yankees donated $10,000 to the Smalleys’ organization. Delta Airlines donated the same amount. The funds will send Smalley and SFTS to more schools and help continue to spread their message.
Ty’s sister, Jerri, 22, who was about to begin sobbing yesterday, described her goals: to immortalize Ty and not let another kid suffer. Jerri said she believes SFTS shouldn’t be about her brother, but about helping other kids. So do her parents.
One of the founding members of SFTS, Alliza Grzybowski, 21, said she feels the donations will be put to good use and help reach people who wouldn’t have otherwise been able to afford to see the Smalleys. The money will cover travel expenses and other expenditures.
Many of the Yankees in attendance are fathers: pitchers Andy Pettitte and Joba Chamberlain, and general manager Brian Cashman. Also at the event were DH Travis Hafner, pitcher Boone Logan, first baseman Lyle Overbay, and catcher Austin Romine.
Smalley informed the audience that if anyone needed someone to talk to, he or she can speak confidentially with a youth counselor at: 1-855-201-2121. Suicide is the second-highest cause of death among Americans between the ages of 10 and 24.