DENVER – Tom and Dru Ahlborg didn’t set out to become experts in bullying, but when their son was relentlessly bullied in middle school they found themselves in the middle of a crash course on the topic.
“When you feel powerless, and your child is, you know, suicidal or whatever, you are just — you're doing anything,” Tom said.
Tom and Dru Ahlborg founded the Bullying Recovery Resource Center in 2018. Since then, they’ve built upon the expertise they gained on their own to help children and families who need a voice in their corner who believes in them.
“We teach them how to talk about bullying,” Dru said. “There's a different language we want to use. The child is not a victim. They're a target.”
With the aid of a team of experienced volunteers, BRRCprovides the things families need. Anything from information and support, to advocates to help them work on solutions with their child’s school.
BRRC has helped dozens of families over the years, and while they have seen an uptick in violent bullying recently, they say physical bullying isn’t the only challenge families are facing.
“There’s a lot of shunning and gossip and things like that,” Dru said. “That can be just as harmful as any other kind of bullying.”
- To learn more about the programs offered by the Bullying Recovery Resource Center, including how you can help, click here. BRRC does have a golf fundraiser coming up on April 22. Click here for information.
- If you or someone you know is in distress, call the Suicide & Crisis Hotline by clicking here or dialing 988.
- Safe2Tell takes reports from students or others concerned about their safety. Click here for information.
“The other way that we have seen that is where Safe2Tell was notified about a child that's gonna bring a gun. And that's the bullied kid and they're visited at like 2 a.m. in the morning,” Tom added.
And while the Ahlborgs are trying to change the way schools handle incidences of bullying, their bigger goal is much more defined: Be there for kids in need so they don’t attempt suicide.
“If that child knows that they're being protected, they're heard, we're going to find a solution to get them safe,” Dru said.
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