Anti-Bullying “Relentless Tour” Coming Back to Nebraska to Visit Schools from March 4-6, 2019
Former Michigan State basketball player Anthony Ianni fighting bullying in schools nationwide
KENESAW, NE - The Kids & Dreams Foundation & McKenna’s Rae of Hope Foundation today announced that they will be bringing the “Relentless Tour” – a first-of-its-kind anti-bullying initiative featuring Anthony Ianni – back to several schools and communities in Nebraska from March 4-6, 2019. The Kids & Dreams Foundation has brought Anthony to Nebraska the last three years visiting over 30 schools, three universities and reaching around 15,000 individuals.
Motivational speaker Anthony Ianni was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 4 and was the victim of bullying as a child. He graduated from Michigan State University and became the first known individual with autism to play Division I college basketball. Under legendary MSU coach Tom Izzo, Ianni played with the 2010 and 2012 Big Ten Champion and Tournament Championship teams, and the 2010 Final Four team. He has won a number of awards including MSU’s Tim Bograkos Walk-On Award, the 2012 MSU Unsung Player Award, and was named a 2013 Detroit Pistons Community Game Changer Finalist.
Through the “Relentless Tour”, Ianni, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, Kids & Dreams Foundation & McKenna’s Rae of Hope Foundation seek to raise awareness of autism and the problem of bullying. Students with autism are frequently targeted by bullies, with an estimated 65-90% of individuals with autism having been victims of bullying at some point in their lives.
Anthony will speak at Prairie View Elementary School (Ogallala, NE) at 8:30 am (MDT), Paxton Public School (Paxton, NE) at 10:00 am (MDT) on Monday, March 4th. The tour will continue that day with stops at Sutherland Public School (Sutherland, NE) at 1:00 pm and Wallace Public School (Wallace, NE) at 2:30 pm.
The foundation will be hosting their “Heroes, Hoops & Hope” event on Tuesday night, March 5th at Kearney Catholic High School in Kearney, NE. This event will include a basketball game between former Nebraska football players and community leaders in Central Nebraska. Doors will open at 6:00 pm with the game to begin at 7:00 pm. At halftime, Anthony will share his message to the crowd. There is no charge as a free will donation will be offered to help support the mission of the Kids & Dreams Foundation.
The Kids & Dreams Foundation, based in Central Nebraska, is excited to bring Anthony back to the state to share his message and help them continue to provide support to those children and families experiencing autism & bullying. “We are thrilled for the opportunity to bring Anthony back to Nebraska. We have received so much positive feedback from the first three years with him and had a waiting list of schools that were interested in Anthony’s message. The foundation believes that Anthony will really make an impact again on those that he reaches during his three day tour!”
“Bullying is something we must put an end to, not only in Nebraska but across the country,” said Ianni. “Everyone is affected by bullying in some way and students with autism are at incredibly high risk to be victimized. Our hope is that through my story and spreading our message we can not only inspire kids to take a stand against bullying but also make bullies rethink their actions.”
The Kids & Dreams Foundation would like to thank McKenna’s Rae of Hope Foundation for partnering with them along with Autism Action Partnership and Keeler & Associates for joining them in this effort to bring Anthony to the state. To learn more about the Kids & Dreams Foundation, McKenna’s Rae of Hope Foundation or Anthony Ianni, visit www.kidsanddreams.org, http://mckennasraeofhope.org/and http://relentlesstour.com/.