Ray Rice has announced that he has partnered with Merriweather Post Pavilion, Teen Truth Live, and other local sponsors to bring his "A Ray of Hope" campaign to the parents of youth in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC area on July 13, 2012 at 6pm.
"Since starting my pro-kindness, anti-bullying campaign earlier this year, I have received thousands of emails from kids who have been bullied. I have also received many who have told me that this message of hope assures them that they are not alone. The content of many of the emails have been overwhelming," says Rice. "Overwhelmingly sad, positive, and just plain scary. I just want kids to know they are not alone in this world. I want kids to know it's okay to be who they are. I want to help them learn compassion for one another."
Teen Truth Live, an award winning program, is an interactive, multi-media assembly experience that combines motivational presentations with a 22-minute film that was created by students. The award winning film, TEEN TRUTH: BULLY & SCHOOL VIOLENCE, focuses on social issues that can lead to serious consequences while the presentation challenges students to think about how their reactions to these issues impact the lives of those around them. Using storytelling, humor, real world examples and audience participation, TEEN TRUTH LIVE: BULLY & SCHOOL VIOLENCE teaches students to identify the different forms of bullying, understand how bullying can lead to serious consequences, and motivate students to stop bullying from happening in their school.
The event is free and open to the public. No tickets are required for entry but event organizers are asking that people wishing to attend RSVP via Ray's website at www.RayRice27.com so appropriate accommodations for the correct number of people may be made. Please make sure you RSVP for the event in order to attend as capacity is limited. The event is open to all children and adults; however, the program contains content that may not be suitable for all viewers and parental discretion is strongly advised for children under 13. Children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for admittance to the event.
Doors will open at 6pm. There will be music and entertainment prior to the program. There will be many community oriented vendor booths to visit. The program begins at 7pm and is expected to last 1.5 hours. Directions to Merriweather can be found online at www.merriweathermusic.com.
Attendees are asked to bring non-perishable food items to donate to the local food bank. Donations are appreciated but are not required for admission.
