Valerianne Hinkley of Wilton has been awarded the National 2018 George Washington Honor Medal by the Freedoms Foundation. This honor is awarded to groups or individuals who “go above and beyond the call of duty” on a local, regional or national level which promotes good works and serve their communities on an ongoing, day-to-day basis.
17 year old Valerianne is a member of the Class of 2020 at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, Maine. She created her own anti-bullying campaign in 2017 after being bullied herself. The campaign has since reached international levels, including being recognized by the national Bullying Project, in Canada and has been invited over to the Italy headquarters should she be in the area for a visit.
Be Bold Stand Up To Bullying includes a post-it notes locker project at local schools, posters of positive words and sayings, and many more initiatives that promote kindness throughout the school and community.
Valerianne meets and speaks with groups that are interested in hearing her story so that she can share her project and its goals to help raise awareness about bullying in local schools and communities, talk about how to report incidents, and share how to find resources. Her goal is to let everyone know they have a voice when it comes to standing up to bullying, no matter who you are.