Paducah mother, business woman and Murray State Board of Regent's member Susan Guess and her daughter Morgan are getting national attention for their efforts to make Kentucky a leader in anti-bullying efforts.
Susan and Morgan wrote opinion pieces published in national online news website Huffington Post Tuesday, and the Guess Anti-Bullying Foundation was featured in a bullying article on CNN.com just last week.
At the age of 8, Morgan was bullied to a point of clinical depression by a fellow classmate.
Morgan spent months not telling her mother Susan about the effects the bullying had on her grades and social interactions at school, which had lasting effects that resulted in a doctor’s recommendation that Susan pull her out of the school.
I remember asking Morgan how she felt when she felt her worst. She told me that she didn't want to die because she was having a bad day.
Susan says that’s when she realized the impact students could have on others and she decided to launch her foundation.
When the national Bully Project launched their Bully Movie campaign, Susan and Morgan entered a social media campaign contest to win a free screening of the movie in Paducah. Although they came in third, Susan says she’s happy to say the two cities that won out were Indianapolis and Cleveland – more than double Paducah’s size.
Since, Susan has hosted local events and spread awareness via Kentucky Educational Television. She says the opportunity to be highlighted in national publications only adds to her effort.
“We have been fortunate to connect with people who can help tell the story of Paducah and really what we hope is Kentucky leading the way to change the culture in bullying,” she said.
Susan and Morgan will participate in a Google Hangout on Oct. 29 to promote the foundation and its Kentucky initiative.
