CALEDONIA TOWNSHIP Lisa Freeman wants to take her anti-bullying message nationwide. It's a mission
that's even more important after losing her 22-year-old son Brian to a heart
defect in August.
But that's not the only pain this mom watched her son endure.
"He got teased, he got pushed around, he got beat up," Freeman said.
Bullied because he was different, and Lisa says Brian wasn't alone. "Our entire
family, even our dogs, have been bullied and abused all of our life and
neglected, we don't want other people to feel that way."
Lisa uses those first-hand accounts to educate local students through her 'Abuse
Bites' campaign, but has plans to do much more. "When we get an RV, I'm going to
put his name on the side of it .... a big heart, it's going to be 'Change of
Heart for Brian', to change hearts literally."
At the fundraiser, a white ribbon was cut symbolizing potential lives saved
through anti-bullying education and a black ribbon represented victims like
Brian.
Listening to Lisa's message was Lisa Murawa, a mother of two.
"Educating them so that they can deal with it, so they can deal with it in a
proper way, instead of in a violent way," Murawa said.
Owosso's Mayor believes Freeman is taking on a problem that is growing and
evolving.
"I think a lot of it is the technology that allows the
bullying to be projected to hundreds or thousands of students," said Mayor Of
Owosso Benjamin Frederick.
Whether the bullying is online, or in person, Lisa and her family want to
prevent it.
"If we become proactive against bullying, it doesn't have to affect us anymore,"
Freeman said. "I think we can take a stand and get the upper hand."
For more on bullying, join ABC12 and Ilse Lujan-Hayes for the story of an
11-year-old boy who's overweight, but is doing something about it, Monday at 5
p.m.
