ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Madi Burr, 15, spent years being bullied at school. She said it started in elementary school, and it got so bad that she was nearly suicidal.
“I would come home some days crying,” Burr said. “I wouldn't be able to go to sleep because I was in tears.”
Because of that experience and a family history of mental illness, Burr spent some time in the hospital.
She found there were few activities at the hospital that were geared toward teens.
So, she asked her friend Tina Meier for help.
Meier is the founder of the Megan Meier Foundation, which helps combat bullying. They decided to collect activities for teens who are receiving mental health treatment, such as board games, DVDs and art supplies.
“Let kids know, Madi has been here before and she wants you to know she cares,” Meier said.
This inspired a bigger idea – ten acts of kindness to honor the ten year anniversary of the foundation. It is named after Tina’s daughter, who took her own life after being bullied.
“Megan was a very giving girl,” Meier said. “Helping others is what I know she would want me to do.”
Burr said even though she was treated badly, she wants to find ways to make someone else’s day a little brighter and a little kinder.
“You never know what someone is going through, even if you just give them a hug,” Burr said. “Little things like that can cheer someone up. And you never know; it could change their life.”
Anyone who would like to help can donate the following items to the Megan Meier Foundation: markers, board games, coloring books (non-spiral bound) and PG-13 DVDs geared toward teens.
For more information, click here.
More information: https://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/
