Elton John, Bette Midler & More Celebs Join The Oogieloves To STOMP Out Bullying

Love Our Children USA announced today its partnership with Kenn Viselman presents..., creators of the latest children's sensation The Oogieloves, to appear in a public service announcement for the campaign to STOMP Out Bullying, an initiative of Love Our Children USA.

The Oogieloves join celebrities Demi Lovato, JoJo, Brittany Snow and Naturally Seven in a national campaign to end childhood bullying. The three Oogieloves, Goobie, Zoozie and Toofie, help to extend the national campaign to reach even further to preschool and early school-aged children, helping to break the cycle of bullying before it even starts.

Other celebrities and those in the entertainment and sports industries who have supported STOMP Out Bullying include: Elton John, Bette Midler, Ellen Degeneres, Sugarland, John Cusack, Donny and Marie Osmond, Ashleigh Banfield, Dancing With The Stars, Live With Regis and Kelly, The View, truTV, "In The Heights", the NJ Nets and more.

"Childhood bullying is harmful to children, especially during their preschool years when many of their first non-family relationships are founded," said Kenn Viselman, president of Kenn Viselman presents. "The Oogieloves are all love, and understand the importance of being respectful to their friends. Goobie, Zoozie & Toofie are a natural fit to help this important campaign reach all children including the very youngest. Children like to emulate the behavior of those that they think are cool. Our expectation is that the Oogieloves can help reinforce the positive behavior to the youngest of children while they are still developing their social skills and appreciate their need to love, respect and honor others."

"Having the Oogieloves join this campaign will help to expand its reach to the very youngest, most impressionable of children" said Ross Ellis, Love Our Children USA, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "They will help us in our campaign to educate children of the negative effects of bullying and of the choices that we can all make, even at a very young age and I am thrilled to be able to expand the program to include them."

Ellis said "STOMP Out Bullying brings awareness and educates kids, parents and schools about the issue. It offers hope for every kid who experiences the harmful effects of bullying and teaches parents to keep open communication with their children and to look for signs. It also educates school administrators across the country, who have swept this issue under the rug for far too long."

Bullying Statistics
• 1 out of 4 kids is Bullied.
• 1 out of 5 kids admits to being a bully, or doing some "Bullying."
• 8% of students miss 1 day of class per month for fear of Bullies.
• 43% fear harassment in the bathroom at school.
• A poll of teens ages 12-17 proved that they think violence increased at their schools.
• 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.
• More youth violence occurs on school grounds as opposed to on the way to school.
• 80% of the time, an argument with a bully will end up in a physical fight.
• 1/3 of students surveyed said they heard another student threaten to kill someone.
• 2 out of 3 say they know how to make a bomb, or know where to get the information to do it.
• Playground statistics - Every 7 minutes a child is bullied.
• As many as 160,000 students may stay home on any given day because they're afraid of their bullies due to the pain of bullying.

Cyber Bullying Statistics
• 42% of kids have been bullied while online. 1 in 4 have had it happen more than once.
• 35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly 1 in 5 have had it happen more than once.
• 21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mail or other messages.
• 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online.
• 53% of kids admit having said something mean or hurtful to another person online.
• 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online.

All of this has everyone worried. Not just the kids on its receiving end, but the parents, teachers and others who may not understand how extreme bullying can get. Love Our Children USA is working aggressively to prevent these issues and to help the kids and teens affected by it.

Ellis stated, "Kids who are intimidated, threatened, or harmed by bullies often experience low self-esteem and depression, whereas those doing the bullying may go on to engage in more serious antisocial behaviors. Some kids are so traumatized by being bullied, that suicide has become an alternative for them. Bullies often have been the victims of bullying or other mistreatment themselves."

The STOMP Out Bullying campaign focuses its efforts to reduce bullying and cyberbullying, decrease school absenteeism and truancy, educate against homophobia and racism and deter violence in schools, playgrounds and communities across the country. It includes public service announcements, in-school education, online and social media campaigns, posters and brochures and wristbands. The Love Our Children USA's National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week takes place each year in early October and will be observed October 4-10, 2009.

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