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Great Causes

Beware of Moms Who Cyberbully

Many of us know of the many cyberbullies lurking online just itching to hurl a meanspirited comment or tweet to an unsuspecting victim, and frankly here at Role Mommy, we have decided to take a stand against bullying - both in person and online! Over the next year, we will be featuring important articles on the site on how you can combat bullying and even determine if you're a bully yourself. Plus, this fall, we'll be hosting both online and in person events for parents and children in support of Love Our Children USA, the nation's go-to prevention organization for all forms of violence and neglect against children in the United States. For our first entry, Ross Ellis, the founder of the organization, whose website STOMP Out Bullying offers valuable advice and information on how to protect both your children and yourself from bullies, shares important insights into the dangers of cyberbullying among moms.

Moms Who Cyberbully

Think cyberbullying is just for kids and teens?

Think again! Moms are cyberbullying!

New York mom Gillian Foreman is a breastfeeding advocate who twittered about breastfeeding. The next thing she knew she was being attacked online by her next-door neighbor.

Now her next-door neighbor won't stop passively aggressively attacking her, making snide comments online -- being just plain mean.

While many moms Twitter and Facebook to connect with other mothers, some get angry, jealous and plain nosy when it comes to the Internet.

Some want to chide their friends and neighbors, while others are busy finding out what their kids are doing with other kids.

Take for example, Lori Drew, 50 of Missouri, who was accused of participating in a cyberbullying scheme against 13-year-old Megan Meier who later committed suicide.

And there is Long Island mom, Margery Tannenbaum 40, whose daughter apparently got into some sort of fourth-grade argument with a classmate so she went on Craigs List and used the site to exact revenge on the girl's rival.

Tannenbaum, a licensed social worker is charged with aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a minor, both misdemeanors.

And New York City mom, Nicole Sprinkle knows about cyberbullying firsthand. She has been on the giving and receiving end of this malicious online behavior - sniping, watching as seemingly innocent subjects on her neighborhood parenting listserv turned into nasty arguments.

More mothers find that expressing their views online, doesn't bring the community they're after, but it does bring insults and judgment from strangers.

These experiences are not isolated. They're just the ones we're hearing about in the media.

What is all of this about?

It's called cyberbullying!
Cyberbullying is social terror by technology ... and it's on the rise.

When a kid of any age, up to 18 is threatened, humiliated, harassed, or humiliated via use of technology --- this is Cyberbullying. It's harmful and it's dangerous!

This social online terror is used through e-mail, cell phones, pager text messages, instant messaging, Web sites, online personal polling Web sites. It is done deliberately and repeatedly and is used by an individual or group with the intention of harming others.

Originally a kid and teen issue, more and more moms are cyberbullying their peers and kids!

While most kids and adults use the Internet responsibly, others are using all of this technology to terrorize and Cyberbully!

Cyber Bullying is the perfect way for bullies to remain anonymous.

Cyber Bullying makes it easier for bullies because they are not face to face with their victim(s.)

And adult cyberbullying can cause a whole host of other problems like someone smearing your good name all over the Internet or even worse - identity theft. See Google Bomb.)

What goes on the Internet STAYS on the Internet!

This online behavior is dangerous and if these are the role models that our kids and teens look up to, then what chance do we have of not only keeping our kids safe online, but teaching them right from wrong.

There are consequences for these actions and parents must display appropriate Internet behavior ... for themselves and their children.

To learn more about cyberbullying and safe online practices, visit Love Our Children USA.

Posted in: Blog, Great Causes, Love Our Children USA on 06/13/2010

Refreshing the World, One Idea at a Time

This past summer, I had the incredible opportunity to spend time with a woman who is truly a visionary - Jill Beraud, CMO and president of joint ventures for PepsiCo Americas Beverages, who is responsible for integrating the brand into worldwide initiatives that will make a global impact. I met Jill at BlogHer in Chicago when I participated in an incredible panel discussion that she and Lee Woodruff (one of my favorite people in the whole wide world) moderated about living life with purpose.

After the session, I was supposed to race back to the airport to catch a plane but lucky for me, I received the invitation of a lifetime - Jill was headed back home to Westchester, NY and she offered me a lift - on the Pepsico private jet! To say I was elated was an understatement of the year, I jumped at the chance to find out more about Jill and spend some quality time with my friend and mentor, Lee Woodruff, who in my eyes is the Role Mommy of the Millennium.

For the next several hours, I was riveted as I found out about Jill's passion for helping others as she talked about the many philanthropic and life-changing pursuits she and her family were involved with over the years. So it did not surprise me when I received an email a few days ago from the team at Pepsi, unveiling one of the most incredible initiatives undertaken by a major consumer brand - the Pepsi Refresh Project.

The Pepsi Refresh Project is a groundbreaking effort to foster innovation in social good, which will award more than $20 million this year to fund great ideas that refresh the world. The program launched on January 13 and has already exceeded expectations by receiving the monthly limit of 1,000 submissions in less than seven days with at least one from each state in the U.S. Joining the effort are actors Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon, who have generated their own ideas for Pepsi Refresh and are competing for support in the Pepsi Refresh Celebrity Challenge, which launched this week.

The Pepsi Refresh Facebook page also featured an exclusive opportunity to watch the Pepsi Refresh Everything through Great Ideas Brainstorm live from New York City. The Brainstorm brought together Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Jill Beraud; advisory board member, Majora Carter; as well as college students from the New York City area to discuss ideas that they believe will positively move the world forward. Below is the Ustream feed to this incredible brainstorming session:

The exciting opportunity behind this project is that anyone with a great idea can enter and potentially win a grant that will help others. According to Pepsico spokesperson Lauren Hobart, the whole premise behind the initiative is to empower people worldwide to vote for the ideas they believe deserve to be funded and the ideas with the most votes can win a grant. This is not a project that will be funding established charities but instead, one that puts the power of giving into the hands of the people.

The Pepsi Refresh Project can be found at www.refresheverything.com, on Facebook at or on Twitter, @Pepsi or #pepsirefresh.

"The overwhelmingly positive response we have received since launching our campaign has been incredible and we are confident that this program will only continue to flourish in 2010," said Beraud. "This is the people's project, it's in their hands. We encourage all individuals to submit their creative and innovative ideas to the Pepsi Refresh Project and cast their votes for the ideas that they want to see come to life."

I love it when a Role Mommy comes up with a campaign that will truly change the world in amazing ways. Kudos to Pepsico and to Jill Beraud for recognizing that individuals do have the power to make a difference.

Posted in: Blog, Great Causes, TV on 02/05/2010

Role Mommy Interviews Marlo Thomas

Interview and feature story by Vicki Salemi

Ok, as a Manhattanite and a single diva in the city, it's ironic that I write a lot about parenting. So when you combine it with my other passions to write about - entertainment and health, I couldn't have been more psyched to represent Role Mommy at this splendiferous event!

The place? Brooks Brothers, dah-ling. Yes, as in the classic, tasteful store on Madison Avenue right near Grand Central Station. The purpose? A celebration to benefit the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, one of the world's premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

Whenever I gallivant to press events there's always a juicy story just waiting to be found but in this instance, the story found me. After Marlo Thomas read a story with children and they sang holiday songs, I was in queue to interview her. In the meantime, I met a St. Jude's patient and then chatted with her mother. Be still my heart.

Emily Kryger will turn eleven in January and when I asked her mother, Donna of North Rockland (about 45 minutes north of Manhattan), what St. Jude means to her, she started tearing up. "I'll try to do this without crying," she says. "St. Jude saved her life and not only did they save her life, they saved her quality of life."

Emily, whose favorite subject is social studies and recently made the honor roll in the fifth grade, is in remission. Donna notes that Emily, her first born, was two years old when diagnosed with a brain tumor. Everyone was saying you can't radiate a child under three years old, she'll be brain damaged and learning disabled and St. Jude said, "No, that's not true." Essentially, after hearing about St. Jude and their suggestions in saying the tumor she had would not have responded to chemotherapy anyway, you can indeed radiate her, we can do it without leaving her with lasting effects, she felt it was the right thing to do. "It was like divine intervention."

In essence, Emily ended up going through radiation and suffered some residual effects like having a paralyzed right vocal chord and hearing loss in her right ear but Donna owes everything to St. Jude which is why they attended the event. "We try to bring awareness to St. Jude whenever it's in the area. Besides saving my daughter's life, I never got a bill from them, they never asked for any money, they took whatever my insurance gave.. You hear about sick children and medical bills just crumble them. Financially you would never even know that we went what we went through. They took whatever we had and never asked for anything else, it's totally run by donations. This is our way of giving back."

As my interview concluded with Donna and I was all set to interview Marlo, I became more fascinated with this research hospital that has literally transformed lives. When it opened its doors in 1962, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer, was four percent. As for today? The survival rate is 94 percent! During the past three years, 84 cents of every dollar received supports the research and treatment at St. Jude. Plus, no child is ever denied treatment because of a family's inability to pay.

As children enjoyed balloon animals made by Todd Neufield, cookie and ornament decorating, and spectacular performances by Wynton Marsalis and The Boys and Girls Choir of Harlem Alumni Ensemble, Brooks Brothers customers were in for an even better treat. Ten percent of the evening's net sales were donated to St. Jude. Continuing through January 2nd, Brooks Brothers' retail and factory stores nationwide will participate in the Thanks and Giving campaign by adding a donation to St. Jude at the time of purchase.

So, without further ado, I turned to Marlo and asked, "I just interviewed a Mom and she started tearing up and she said everything. So, what does it mean to you?"

Marlo: "Well, I guess everything. What it means to me is that a mother would say that. That children come there so frightened and their parents are so scared, they've been told that their child has four months to live their cure is inoperable but they have to have their arm amputated. And they come to St. Jude and they find hope. We don't save every child but we save so many children that would not have ever made it if they hadn't come to St. Jude."

Role Mommy: Have there been one or two stories over the years that really tugged at your heart?

Marlo: So many of them...a couple of months ago I was in the medicine room and this little 6 year-old boy jumped on a bench and he said, "Mommy, I don't have cancer any more!" And all of us were crying. There's a child who actually knew what was wrong with him, struggling, fighting for his life and gets the news that he doesn't have it any more. It's pretty phenomenal.

Role Mommy: Can you talk a little bit about the Thanks and Giving campaign? (She created it five years ago with her siblings, Terry and Tony Thomas).

Marlo: The campaign goes through Christmas and is a way of donating to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital via various merchants or the St. Jude website (www.stjude.org). It's really saying to people everywhere give thanks to the healthy children in your lives and give to those who are not healthy. You do that by shopping in all the stores, Brooks Brothers, Kmart, CVS, Sterling K Jewelers, Ann Taylor, Domino's Pizza, William Sonoma, go to those stores. They're going to ask you to make a donation, a dollar, five dollars, whatever you can afford. And also, go to our website (www.stjude.org) and you can make a donation there...learn some stories about the patients and once you get into it and see what we do, it's almost irresistible not to help out.

Role Mommy: What's next for St. Jude?

Marlo: We're very much into genomics right now. Being able to take the child's DNA, figure out which gene is causing the cancer, and then target those mutated genes with drugs that will cure.

Role Mommy: What's the key to balancing it all?

Marlo: I think you have to keep shifting your priorities. People who say well, this is my priority. It's not really true. Every day your priorities change. Some days there's nothing more important than your children. Some days there's nothing more important than your husband and other days there's nothing more important than getting food on the table.

Ok, I'll do a little this day and a little of this tomorrow without thinking it's a particular percentage for this part of your life. Give yourself a break. If this is the day you're going to let your work go and be with your family, then do it without feeling guilty. The problem is women have a terminal guilt problem. You can't do it all at the same time.

Role Mommy: What are the secrets to a happy, long lasting marriage? (Marlo has been married to Phil Donahue for almost thirty years!)

Marlo: Listening and being observant. Being very careful with each other so you're not forcing someone to do something you're way. It took me about ten years of marriage to figure that out, just like you would with a child you love. Give your spouse some love, some room to make a mistake without telling them. I think we do that as spouses, we think we know what's best.

Photo caption: Marlo Thomas joined St. Jude patient Daniel and Brooks Brothers' Chairman & CEO Claudio Del Vecchio, to celebrate St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 6th annual Thanks and Giving campaign, a holiday fundraising and awareness program running until the end of the year. Brooks Brothers held a store-wide celebration featuring performances by Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center and the cast of Broadway's "Memphis," and a visit with Santa himself. 10% of the evenings net sales were donated to St. Jude.

For more information, visit www.stjude.org.

Posted in: Blog, Great Causes, good news for moms on 12/10/2009

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