Chris Kuykendall is a 16-year-old football player and popular kid at school, but when he was younger he was bullied mercilessly. It deeply affected him, but he says now that he made a big mistake in not telling his parents.
When he heard about a 5-year-old being bullied so badly that he would throw up before going to school, he knew he wanted to help him.
“It just hit home. I remembered how I felt when I was getting bullied. It just fired me up. I wanted to change that right then and there. I didn’t want him to go another day, wake up another day, feeling like he didn’t need to go to school,” Chris told Meredith Vieira.
Chris invited the boy to have lunch with him, so everyone could see the kid was friends with him and the other cool, big kids. It was also an indirect message to the little boy’s tormentors to back off. Chris’ friend and fellow athlete Brevin Young, saw what Chris was doing and knew he wanted to help a bullied kid too.
So the two started the Eagle Buddies program. The group pairs older athletes with bullied kids to help give them a boost of confidence and to have a peer they can talk to.
What an amazing thing these teens are doing! Watch the video below to learn more about how Chris and Brevin are taking a stand against bullying and making a difference in their community.
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.