Be Strong

The thought of suicide is terrifying, but we have to make talking about it a part of everyday life.   By Pamela Morris-Perez Dr. Morris-Perez is a developmental psychologist whose research has focused on early childhood education. Recently, she has turned her attention to preventing suicide.   I always felt so blessed watching my boy-girl twins; even as teenagers they would walk arm in arm down…

Tragedies impact everyone, even those who are only watching from afar. By Jennice Vilhauer, Ph.D. From mass shootings and wars to hurricanes that level entire towns and wildfires consuming whole communities, the vivid details of tragedies and disasters flood our media screens and bring the world’s pain into our living rooms. Staying informed is important, but there’s a hidden cost many of us…

Meet William, Be Strong’s National Student Volunteer Spotlight! Like all young people, William is striving to understand how he strengthens his community. He is a strong, kind, empathetic 16-year-old from New York, who loves to help others, and is passionate about learning and theatre. William and his 3,865 fellow Be Strong Student Representatives and local peer groups – representing all 50…

Celebrating an Enduringly Strong Legacy: Be Strong Founder Retires and New Board Chair Announced

Roy J. Moore, a tremendous and visionary leader with demonstrated history in tech, power and the telecom industry, impressive negotiator and strategic thinker, founded Be Strong in 2014. Moore’s retirement is celebrated by an impactful era dedicated to Be Strong’s mission. We always say you know when Moore enters a room, not only because of his dynamic presence, but by his radiant joy. Moore…

Pain Isn’t a Competition: National Student Volunteer Spotlight

Meet Cece, Be Strong’s National Student Volunteer Spotlight! Resilience like Cece’s is forged and tempered in adversity. By her 13th birthday, she’d survived a hurricane, car wreck, house fire, and being bullied. Beyond experiencing both trauma and loss, what she came out with was a thorough understanding of how important community and truly being there for one another are. Fast forward to 2025,…

Meet Sammi, Be Strong’s National Student Volunteer Spotlight! Sammi may seem like your typical – though highly engaged – pre-teen. She’s dedicated to cheer, pageants, orchestra, and loves to dance, act, and pal around with her chihuahua, Lola. But what you might not know at first glance is how strongly her heart beats for the people around her. Sammi often thinks about what the world would be…

Creating a Safe Space: National Student of the Month

Meet Ayana, Be Strong’s November 2024 National Student of the Month! Ayana is deeply passionate about helping her fellow students in Scottsdale, Arizona. She recognizes that she is a highly empathetic, good listener, and always encourages the people around her to talk about what they’re feeling, to help them better understand their emotions and know that they aren’t facing it alone. Over the last…

Bullying Prevention Month 2024 Spotlight: Student Leader Kendra

Meet Kendra, Be Strong’s Student Spotlight for Bullying Prevention Month 2024! Join us in encouraging Kendra, a kind and thoughtful 12-year-old leader from Jackson, Mississippi. She became a Be Strong Student Representative in 2021, wanting to leverage her voice and talents to make her community a safer, happier place, and help her peers to be happy with who they are. As a toddler, Kendra was…

How do we forgive those we do not know? Strategies in this context are explored. By Robert Enright Ph.D. Key Points People can be victims of cyberhate by unknown people online, especially when spending much time online. Forgiveness is an empirically verified way of reducing the negative effects of unjust treatment. Forgiveness asks the person to know details of the other’s life, such as…

How Self-Compassion Can Help You Deal With Stress

According to new research, self-compassion may help people use more effective coping strategies and in turn feel better. By Elizabeth Hopper While we may have heard that it’s important to treat ourselves with kindness, sometimes this is easier said than done, especially when we’re under stress. When we’re facing challenging circumstances, we may fall back into less productive thought patterns,…

Meet Ashvik, Be Strong’s September 2024 Student of the Month! Ashvik is an enthusiastic dreamer – having been on the planet for 11 years, he’s honed his skills as a distinguished pianist and aspires to be help others professionally as a neurologist. Having been a Be Strong Student Representative for nine months, he’s grown as an individual and a leader, helped many fellow students, and laid the…

On the Other Side of Pain, a Journey to BetterHelp

Jesula Jeannot was born and raised in Haiti, where the vibrant culture and resilient spirit of community couldn’t mask the struggles of everyday life. She was raised by a single mother who worked tirelessly to provide for her family – as mothers do – the odds were stacked up against them. In 2010, a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, which claimed the lives of 222,570 people, injured more than…

[Press Release] National Charity Be Strong Rallies Corporate Partners to Support Teen Mental Health for Back to School and Beyond

For more information contact: Be Strong (954) 246-5807 [email protected]   National Charity Be Strong Rallies Corporate Partners to Support Teen Mental Health for Back to School and Beyond DEERFIELD BEACH, FL, Aug. 22, 2024 — Students, parents, and educators struggle to address the challenges facing young people and the statistics around bullying, hopelessness, suicide, mental health, and…

July 2024 Student of the Month: Michigan Student Leader Heaven

Meet Heaven, Be Strong’s July 2024 Student of the Month! Heaven, a rising sophomore from Haslett, Michigan, is a shining example of what it means to be a Be Strong Student Representative. She joined the program two and a half years ago, when she was only in seventh grade and dealing with anxiety, reacclimating to in-person school, and the natural struggles of socializing as a preteen. “I applied…