NOVA's NO BULLying Run set for Sunday, June 12, at Central Park

The National Education Association reports that 160,000 children miss school each day out of fear of being bullied, 71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at school, and 43% of youth report that they have experienced some form of cyber bullying in the last year.

And don’t fool yourself. Bucks County is not immune to the problems of bullying.

Network of Victim Assistance’s 4th Annual NO BULLying 1-mile Fun Run and 5-mile Run, sponsored by Penn Community Bank, are set for Sunday, June 12, at Doylestown Township’s Central Park. NOVA’s goal is to grab attention for the effects and consequences of bullying on our young people and our communities, as well as to raise funds to combat bullying through community prevention education initiatives.

The morning event, for runners as well as families, includes kid-friendly activities such as arts and crafts, face painting and story-telling, live entertainment by the School of Rock in Doylestown, silent auctions and raffles—and a surprise superhero visit! The Fun Run sets off at 8:30am; the 5-mile race begins at 9:00am. Following the race are an awards ceremony and raffle drawings.

Register for either run at RunSignup.com or starting at 7:30am on race day. Through June 9, fees for the 5-mile race are $25/person for individuals, $20/person for teams of 5 or more, and the 1-mile Fun Run is $10/person. This year, free registration for kids under 4. Enter a team for either run and get creative with the team name, colors and outfits. After June 9, all fees increase $5. Free race t-shirt with each registration. For more information: mandy@NOVABucks.org or 215.343.6543.

“Don’t think of bullying as simply a harmless action that is just part of the growing-up process – it’s not,” says Mandy Mundy, director of education and training at NOVA. “Together we want to make a statement that every person deserves to feel safe and happy, and that bullying will not be tolerated.”

Proceeds from the event benefit NOVA’s Prevention Education initiatives, which deliver school-age programs on bullying prevention and intervention in local schools. For more than two decades, NOVA has focused a large part of its violence prevention education, workshops, assertiveness training, counseling, advocacy, referrals and support toward putting a halt to bullying and helping bullying victims heal.

“In order to end bullying, we believe an entire community must work together to develop a solution,” says Mundy. “By uniting, engaging and educating teachers, parents, students and professionals in the community to prevent bullying, we are making an impact.”