After participating in OPERATION TLC, a camp that teaches and promotes leadership skills, building self-esteem, creating confidence and motivating young people to seek out adults for additional support when being confronted with such issues as bullying and harassment, Bunny wrote this poem:
It started off with a bunch of laughs.
As I met each member of the staff.
Each individual was different in a sense.
I was happy, but my body was tingling with tense.
The further we went on, trust became a part.
It was hard for some people, so this was a start.
Courage and a good heart, some of us lacked.
So we had to make a change, and we interacted.
Behind it all we had a mask.
To show our true feelings, this was a big task.
The way I act may pertain to my lifestyle.
So I had to think how to react for a while.
As we grew to love and to participate,
We were challenged to listen and to cooperate.
It was all making sense because nobody knew me.
But it was not just about me, in fact it was me.
It’s wonderful to know that we can still learn and play.
Because when you open up, love will find a way.
It took some time to manifest in our brains.
But, in the end we gained a lot, through the pains.
Bunny moved from her native country of Jamaica to Nashville 6 months ago.
For more information on STARS or Operation TLC, please contact us, stars@starsnashville.org.
