Three Baker alumnae have reunited through their advocation of an anti-bullying campaign.

When Deborah Mahoney was trying to find board members for her nonprofit organization, Buck The Bullies Inc., she looked straight toward her fellow Baker MSM (Masters in Science Management) graduates and asked Heidi Erenberg and Michelle Pace to join the cause.

“I think going back to school gave me the confidence to look for and pursue new opportunities and it probably opened a few doors that may not have been opened otherwise,” Erenberg said. “(My favorite part is) working for something I feel can make a difference.”

Buck The Bullies Inc. is an organization that was started following a suicide. In 2007, a friend of Mahoney’s, Kim Myers, lost her son Brandon at the age of 12 when the bullying he received became too much.

Brandon was a target at school due to his speech impediment, depression and attention deficit disorder (ADD).

According to a recent SAFE survey, 77 percent of students are bullied mentally, verbally and physically. In about 85 percent of bullying cases, no intervention or effort is made by a teacher or administration member of the school to stop the bullying from taking place.

The Myers family is currently in a lawsuit in an effort to sue Blue Springs School District for failure to stop the bullying. Kim was unable to provide insight on the issue due to litigation issues.

“Because Kim is going to court, she can’t talk or act on this issue,” Mahoney said. “But I thought, ‘Kim can’t do it, but we can.’ And then the company was started.”

The main function of the organization can be found in their mission statement: “…educate the community on bullying prevention and awareness and support those who are being bullied.”

The organization wishes to have regular events and bring in speakers to share not only Myers’ story, but other stories as well.

The first event is a Buck the Bullies for Brandon 5K Trail Run/Walk, Oct. 21 at Lone Wolf Arena.