Today at school, my friend Brenda said that old saying: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I’m just a kid, but I think that saying is garbage… It doesn’t make ANY SENSE! I mean, OF COURSE words can hurt me. Kids used to make fun of me just because I’m a little bit smaller, and that hurt a lot. Nobody likes to get teased or made fun of—at least nobody that I know. Where did that saying start, anyway? It hurts when you’re called names, or when you’re left out, or when you’re made fun of just because something about you is a little different….

So I told her that I think that we should change that old saying to say “Sticks and stones can break my bones, and words CAN really hurt me!” I think this new saying is a whole lot better, IMHO. Maybe if kids learned this new saying, there would be a whole lot less kids thinking that teasing and name-calling are no big deal.  And then, 100 years from now, when kids are taught this NEW saying as they are growing up and they wonder where it comes from, people can tell that kid it started right here with me, Jason Robinson—one of the Kids on the Block!

As my dad always says, “Just because someone is mean to you, it doesn’t mean that you have to be mean back to them.” He’s really smart. So if kids are teasing you or making fun of you, remember that we do not have to be mean back! We can say something nice, make a joke, try to ignore it, or even tell a grown-up about it if it’s happening a lot.

 If anyone wants to know more about how to handle all this teasing and name-calling stuff, they should totally talk to my friends at www.kobnashville.org

To educate Williamson County parents on how to recognize the warning signs their child is being bullied or their child might be bullying others, the Patricia Hart Society has scheduled a “Lunch & Learn” with Rodger Dinwiddie, CEO of STARS (Students Taking A Right Stand).

The free seminar is open to anyone in Williamson County and will be held on Friday, Oct. 7^th at 12:00 noon until 1 p.m. in the offices of United Way of Williamson County. Bring your own brown bag lunch but reservations are required with seating limited to 50 attendees. Contact Debby Rainey with United Way at 615-771-2312 for a reservation.

Bullying can happen anywhere – face-to-face, by text messages or on the web. It is not limited by age, gender, or education level. It is not a phase and it is not a joke. Bullying can cause lasting harm. There are many warning signs that could indicate that someone is involved in bullying. If you suspect that someone you know is being bullied or is bullying others, check out the warning signs so you can help at www.starsnashville.org.

United Way of Williamson County is dedicated to advancing the common good and creating opportunities for a good life for all members of our community. To do that, United Way addresses the underlying causes of problems that prevent progress toward a better life. In our 50^th year of caring for our community, we invite you to join us as we continue this rewarding work. You can give, you can advocate and you can volunteer.

To find out more about United Way of Williamson County, please visit: www.uwwc.org or call the office at 615-771-2312.

20^th Annual HART GOLF CLASSIC FOR STARS

Monday, June 25, 2012

Golf Club of Tennessee

Kingston Springs,TN

1 p.m. shotgun start.

~~~~~~

It’s not just a day of golf.  It’s a young person’s future.

This year marks the 20^th year of the Hart Golf Classic.  All proceeds raised by the Hart Golf Classic go directly to the youth served by STARS.  Last year alone we reached 80,000 young people and their families.  From our STARS specialists who work in the school buildings every day, to our trained Kids on the Block puppeteers, to our services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, to our intensive outpatient treatment program, we are making an impact! 

Since 1984, STARS has existed to serve schools and communities by providing prevention, intervention and treatment services addressing bullying, substance abuse, violence and social and emotional barriers to success.

Player, Team and Hole Sponsorships

$375 per player

$1,500 for one foursome

$250 hole sponsorship

$1,600 to sponsor one team & one hole

 

 

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 

HOLE IN ONE Presenting Sponsor                                                        $10,000

• Your $10,000 will ensure that young people in Middle Tennessee will be provided the help, hope and healing they deserve.  Your donation truly saves lives.
• What you receive for your support:
  • Carts and green fees for two teams, including lunch & on-course beverages
  • Logo to appear on sponsor board, prominently displayed at the tournament
  • Logo featured on the STARS website, which can link to your website
  • Hole signage

EAGLE Sponsor to benefit K-6^th Graders                                                                    $7,500

• Your donation of $7,500 will:
  • Teach 500 Kindergarteners caring and respect by understanding that name-calling & teasing can hurt someone else
  • Teach 500 3rd graders to understand that child abuse is NEVER a child’s fault
  • Teach 500 5th graders to challenge their fears and prejudices and thus accept differences in others
• What you receive for your support:
  • Cart & green fees for one team
  • Hole signage
  • Logo featured on the STARS website, which can link to your website

BIRDIE Sponsor to aid in Bullying Prevention                                                          $5,000

• Your donation of $5,000 will provide support to 300 students on the issue of relationship violence through the evidence-based curriculum, SAFE DATES.
• What you receive for your support:
  • Cart & green fees for one team
  •  Logo featured on the STARS website, which can link to your website

GOLDEN TEE Sponsor to support youth overcoming drug abuse                     $2,500

• Your donation of $2,500 will provide intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment for 10 adolescents
• What you receive for your support:
  • Cart & green fees for one team
  •  Logo featured on the STARS website, which can link to your website

 

 

 

NASHVILLE— Country Music’s consummate caring artist, Vince Gill, is lending 
his musical talents once again on Tuesday, November 1 at the Country Music Hall
 of Fame and Museum for the Vince Gill & Friends Concert for STARS (Students
Taking A Right Stand) helping their important work of assisting young people 
throughout Middle Tennessee overcome tough social and emotional barriers to
learning.
           

Rodger Dinwiddie, STARS chief executive officer, said they are 
thrilled Gill, who has been such an amazing friend to the non-profit agency, is 
joined this year by Angie and Troy Gentry, of Montgomery Gentry, as event patron
 chairs for another star-studded evening for the students of STARS.


Event Co-Chairs, Christy Smith and Karla Calderon, said guests from Canada to Kansas and California as well as wonderful local supporters are expected to 
attend the spectacular evening with a Silent Auction featuring an array of trips, 
luxury items and the popular event related musical items.
           

“We are so honored Vince and his special guests will help STARS 
continue their critical service to Middle Tennessee families from helping teens 
cope with peer pressure, bullying, substance abuse and violence to the Kids On The Block puppetry program. Combined with incredible musical guests, the silent 
auction features an impressive array of items from the artists’ autographed
 guitars and hand-crafted Hinkle ladder back chairs to Titans and Predators 
sports packages,” Smith said.
           

Founded in 1984, STARS specialists operate in elementary to high 
schools serving more than 50 schools and community sites within a seven-county 
area helping tackle tough social and emotional issues including addressing youth 
substance use and abuse prevention. Their highly successful Kids On The Block 
puppetry program helps educate kindergarten through sixth grade students about
 health and social concerns that affect their lives while promoting an 
understanding and acceptance of all children and adults regardless of their 
differences.  STARS is a nationally recognized resource for training and 
professional consultation. 



“Tough economic times hits our youth even harder as many are ill-equipped to
 deal with this additional stress. Partnering with Vince on an event of this
 caliber stands to positively impact so many lives,” Dinwiddie stressed.


Vince Gill & Friends Concert for STARS is being presented Tuesday, November 1 
with a reception at 6:30 p.m. in the rotunda of the Country Music Hall of 
Fame and Museum followed by an 8:00 p.m. concert.  With limited seating, exclusive patron tickets are available for $275.00 which includes premium 
concert seating and a post-concert meet and greet with Vince Gill.  Individual
tickets are $175.00.   For more information, please email events@starsnashville.org or call 615-983-6805.

Today we hosted our quarterly board meeting.  We had  tremendous turn out and a very full agenda.  Our board is comprised of community leaders, thinkers, philanthropists, parents, business owners, lawyers, investment bankers, and school staff, to name but a few of the professions represented on our board.  And, today we shared a powerful, and dare I say, emotional experience together.  We listened to the stories of students we serve.  We heard from a high school Senior who lost her father during middle school and then her family home to a house fire only last year.  Her sense of isolation, desperation and sadness emotionally paralyzed her until she started to talk with the STARS counselor at her school.  Through her work with STARS, this young woman is confident about her future and her ability to work through the twists and turns the path of life puts before her.  We  heard from another high school Senior, a young man who has been tormented by bullies since he was 5-years old.  He shared with us  the helplessness he felt when he tried to have his school intervene.  This brave young man even went to the home of one of his bullies to plead with the parents to have their child stop.  Instead, this young man was screamed at and threatened by the bully’s father.  There was a collective gasp in the room when we heard this.  Only until he started to work with his STARS counselor did he start to establish assuredness and self-confidence.   He started to journal as a therapeutic exercise to help him work through the pain.  Today, he has written a book of his experience.  He declared his committment to make sure victims of bullying and harrassment have a voice to stand up for themselves.

It makes a difference how you treat people.  It makes a difference how you offer kindness.  STARS makes a difference in the lives of young people.