Our Story

When Ron Barber and his family created the Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding, they wanted to tackle the issue of bullying.

In August 2011, the volunteer Anti-Bullying Task Force began meeting monthly to discuss how to address bullying in our schools and in the workplace.  Its members include educators from local school districts, leaders from social service agencies, physicians and community volunteers.

The Task Force created several subcommittees with the following goals:  create the endofbullying.com website; focus on anti-bullying programs in schools; launch a Public Service Announcement competition for youth; and reach out to pediatricians so they could ask children if they feel safe at school and provide those who don’t with anti-bullying resources.

In just a few months, much has been accomplished.  The endofbullying.com website is launched!  Task Force member Dr. Sheri Bauman, head of the master’s school counseling program at University of Arizona and anti-bullying expert, has graciously volunteered to give presentations to local schools.  By the end of 2011, she had reached more than 300 educators and support staff citywide.

In her presentations, she helps administrators, teachers and support staff learn how to detect bullying, how to address it and how to prevent it from happening. She has also participated in anti-bullying forum for parents at a Tucson High School event and conducted a two-hour training session for Tucson Unified School District crossing guards and Ethnic Studies staff members.  She has many more presentations planned in 2012, including a full-day program for teachers at Tucson High School in January 2012.

Dr. Bauman also is working with the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind, providing trainings for its staff in Tucson and Phoenix, who are working to translate anti-bullying materials into Braille and ASL.   In addition, she is conducting research supported by the Fund at a local independent school, Imago Dei, to investigate the cognitive and moral components of middle school bullying.

We will be launching a Public Service Announcement competition soon for youth.  Stay tuned!  And we are creating materials for pediatricians to help children who are being bullied at school.

The task force is led by co-chairs, Jenny Douglas, director of Second Street Children’s School, and Ann-Eve Pedersen, president of the Arizona Education Parent Network.

Contact us if you are interested in learning more or becoming involved.

Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding

Ron Barber’s family created the Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding while he was recovering in the ICU. The mission of the fund is to sustain and build upon the outpouring of good will, compassion and kindness that the community responded with after the tragic event in Tucson on Jan. 8, 2011. Barber, district director for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was shot twice and is healing and on the road to recovery.

The fund will help build healthier communities through fundraising, initiatives and local programs, and through partnerships with other organizations by:

Honoring survivors and those who lost their lives on Jan. 8, 2011;

Paying tribute to the first responders, citizens and medical personnel who came to the aid of the victims;

And supporting nonprofit groups or organizations that sponsor programs, discussions and more in public schools, faith communities, politics and mental health care.

In schools, these programs works with students to encourage understanding differences and address the effects of bullying.

In faith communities and the political arena, the programs will promote respect for different points of view and civil discourse regarding public policy issues.

In mental health, they will work to increase awareness of mental health symptoms, prevention and treatment services.

The fund will also support nonprofit programs and other organizations to produce concerts and artistic events. Concerts with national and local musicians will play an important role in building the fund and in healing and unifying the community.

Task Force Members

The Anti-Bullying Task Force is full of concerned community members who work in a variety of school districts and local social service organizations.   Our members include counselors from nearly all our neighboring school districts, specifically ASDB and TUSD, staff members of Wingspan, Our Family Services, the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault, the Pima County Attorney’s Office and the Community Partnership of Southern Arizona. We typically meet on the third Thursday of each month.  If you are interested in attending our meetings, CONTACT US.