Vermont Business Magazine According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, one out of every five students (ages 12-18) in the United States has been bullied — and it doesn’t stop there.
Students who experience bullying are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school, according to the Centers for Disease and Prevention. Fortunately, the National Bullying Prevention Center says more than half of bullying situations (57%) stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of the student being bullied.
These alarming statistics are just a glimpse into why the North Country Chevy Dealers, a group of 15 Chevrolet dealerships in Northern New York, Vermont, and Northern New Hampshire, have partnered with Sweethearts & Heroes, a bullying and suicide prevention program, since 2018.
Sweethearts & Heroes provides hope and empowerment to help lessen bullying and its impact by sharing messages of anti-bullying practices to students and teachers alike. The goal is to teach students to enforce anti-bullying practices, not just during National Bullying Prevention Month in October, but all year long. Through Sweethearts & Heroes, the North Country Chevy Dealers have impacted hundreds of elementary, middle school and high school students in more than a dozen schools across the region and over 75 educators as well.
The Sweethearts & Heroes team is Tom Murphy, Director and Founder, of St. Albans, VT; Ret. U.S. Army Sgt. Rick Yarosh, a HOPE expert and motivational speaker from New York who was burned severely while serving in Iraq; and Pat Fish, BRAVES and Circle Leader. (For more on Circle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q286yIL9L1E).
Sweethearts & Heroes’ partnership with the North Country Chevy Dealers began at Peru High School, in Peru, NY Today, students and staff at Peru High School have fully embraced the Sweethearts & Heroes curriculum, and the school offers popular courses based on the Sweethearts & Heroes’ BRAVES program.
“The North Country Chevy Dealers have partnered with Sweethearts & Heroes for several years. Their presentations are incredibly impactful and leave a lasting impression on the students they connect with,” said Duane Coute, of Littleton (NH) Chevrolet. Coute is also current President of the North Country Chevy Dealers Local Marketing Association (LMA) of Burlington, VT-Plattsburgh, NY. “Many administrators, staff, and teachers from the schools that have participated have returned to us with positive feedback, stating that this is exactly what their students needed to hear, presented in a unique way. When you see students in the audience completely engaged in the discussion, you know it's making a difference. The personal interaction after the presentation is where students feel a sense of hope, love, and worth. We feel fortunate to work with Tom, Rick and the entire Sweethearts & Heroes team. Their organization allows us to continue to make a positive impact in our local communities.”
The North Country Chevy Dealers include: Adirondack Chevrolet (Elizabethtown, NY), Alderman’s Chevrolet (Rutland, VT), Benson’s Chevrolet (Ludlow, VT), Champlain Chevrolet (Enosburg Falls, VT), Cody Chevrolet (Montpelier, VT), Ellis Chevrolet (Malone, NY), Handy Chevrolet (St. Albans, VT), Key Chevrolet of South Burlington (Burlington, VT), Key Chevrolet of White River (White River Junction, VT), Key Chevrolet of Newport (Newport, NH), Langway Chevrolet (Manchester Center, VT), Littleton Chevrolet (Littleton, NH), Middlebury Chevrolet (Middlebury, VT), Goss Chevrolet (Champlain, NY), and Wells River Chevrolet (Wells River, VT). (For more information on the North County Chevy Dealers, visit chevynorthcountry.com.)
With support from Alderman’s Chevrolet, in Rutland, Sweethearts & Heroes worked at Rutland Town School during the 2022-2023 school year. Sweethearts & Heroes is scheduled to return to Rutland in April 2024.
Additionally, Alderman’s Chevrolet was one of four North Country Chevy Dealers that co-sponsored Sweethearts & Heroes summer 2023 trainings for educators in southern Vermont. Those sessions were held in mid-August — also at Rutland Town School.
Sweethearts & Heroes is excited to announce the release of this video to thank the North Country Chevy Dealers for their sponsorship and support.
“We made this video to thank the North Country Chevy Dealers and to show communities that this is the impact their kids need —especially right now,”Tom Murphy said. “This is a messy world, and students aren’t being raised by Baby Boomers anymore, so we need to stop treating kids like they come from the past. Our students will eventually change this world —not adults — so our HOPE message is about empowering young people to be the change. If we really want change, we have to empower them. Our children are the heartbeat of America, and we don’t have a country — no America — without this generation.”
Sweethearts & Heroes is a student empowerment and empathy activation team that aims to prevent bullying and suicide with a focus on the basic components of social-emotional learning (SEL). Sweethearts & Heroes offers a profound, engaging signature presentation that calls for HOPE (Hold On, Possibilities Exist), Empathy, and Action; Circle, which is built on the ancient ritual of communicating in a circle to build empathy; and BRAVES Buddies, which trains older students in bully drills that they, in turn, teach to students in lower grades.
For more than 16 years, Sweethearts & Heroes has presented what Murphy calls “‘the ‘stop, drop and roll’ of bullying” to more than 2.5 million students in school districts from New England to Hawaii and north into Canada. Sweethearts & Heroes also tailors its presentations and workshops for businesses, non-profits, and civic groups. Murphy said, “We go where we’re needed. That’s what heroes do.”
For more information on Sweethearts & Heroes, visit sweetheartsandheroes.com.