Volunteers are putting on a series of summer programs in Macon aimed at helping kids cope with bullying.

They began with an anti-bullying rally Thursday in Central City Park. Kids and families listened to music while a dance team got down on a small stage.

The event was the idea of Tori Goolsby, a 23-year-old volunteer with the Mentor’s Project, an independent non-profit program aimed at helping kids graduate high school.

Bullying touches all young people, Goolsby said. "People who are different, they’re automatically alienated, basically."

"It doesn’t matter what school you go to, there’s going to be some sort of bullying," she said.

June O’Neal, the executive director of the Mentor’s Project, said she wants to help kids find exciting things to do while still staying free from harm.

"We’re having this at the beginning of the summer because a lot of children don’t feel safe to get outside and on the street in their neighborhood," O'Neal said. "We don’t want children confined to their houses or to their grandparent’s house, or to their aunt’s house because they’re afraid to get out in their neighborhood."

The Mentor’s Project is going to host family-friendly events like this throughout the summer.

Tags: Mercer University, bullying, anti-bullying, Adam Ragusea, Center for Collaborative Journalism, Erica O'Neal