Did you know half of all children are bullied at some point in their school years, including 90% of LGBT youth? It’s a sobering statistic. In our tradition of caring for families for 128 years, we’ve continued to partner with today’s leading LGBT advocates to make the world a more caring and accepting place for all families. This includes taking on issues like bullying with our CARE WITH PRIDE™ program, which is in full swing again this month.
What makes this year’s CARE WITH PRIDE™ program different is that Johnson & Johnson employee and dad Paul S., his partner, Andrew, and their three sons are featured in the ad campaign! We caught up with Paul to learn why CARE WITH PRIDE™ is so important to him, and how he’s weaving lessons of caring, tolerance and respect into his parenting.
JNJ Parents: What does Johnson & Johnson’s CARE WITH PRIDE™ program mean to you?
Paul: It is great to see Johnson & Johnson taking a leadership role in supporting fairness and equality for all families. I have found it particularly motivating to be part of an initiative that supports the important work that organizations like PFLAG and The Trevor Project are doing every day in our communities to end bullying and create safer environments for our LGBT and Questioning youth. For the past 10 years, I have been an active member of the J&J LGBT Employee Resource Group that started the CARE WITH PRIDE™ program and it has been inspiring to see the impact of the program grow over the last several years.
JNJ Parents: Why did you offer to participate in the CARE WITH PRIDE™ ad campaign?
Paul: I was honored to be asked to appear in this year’s CWP ad with my partner Andrew and our three sons. After discussing it as a family, we all agreed that we wanted to demonstrate our support of this important program and what better way than to be in the ad! I also think that featuring a LGBT J&J family sends a strong signal to both our consumers and employees that J&J is committed to fairness and equality.
JNJ Parents: Did you experience bullying growing up? How did it affect you and how did you deal with it?
Paul: In junior high school, I was bullied by my peers for being different. At the time, I hid the incidents from my family and friends because I didn’t think they could help and didn’t want even more attention brought to an already difficult situation. I was at an age when I was starting to question my sexual orientation and felt like I had to hide it. It was very isolating and scary to have to face bullying alone – no child should have to do that.
JNJ Parents: How are you teaching your three sons about bullying?
Paul: In our family, we have an ongoing conversation with our boys about the importance of fairness and respect. It is important to support and model good behavior at home so our boys don’t bully each other and know what to do if they are bullied. Participating in the CARE WITH PRIDE™ program as a family has provided a great opportunity to reinforce with our boys the importance of taking a strong stand against bullying.
Care to join us? Here’s how you can help:
- Visit carewithpride.com to learn how you can help make schools safe for all kids. For every coupon redeemed from the CARE WITH PRIDE™ site, the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies will donate $1 to PFLAG and their Safe Schools for All Initiative, up to $150,000.
- Support the CARE WITH PRIDE™ program by donating a photo! Simply download the Johnson & Johnson Donate A Photo app and upload a photo In support of CARE WITH PRIDE™. For every photo you share, Johnson & Johnson donates $1 to a cause you want to help. You can donate one photo a day, every day. Starting in June, simply select the cause associated with PFLAG in the Donate A Photo app and we’ll donate $1 to this great organizations for each photo you upload. The Family Equality Council will be added to the Donate a Photo app in July and The Trevor Project will be added in October! Visit www.carewithpride.com to learn more about this year’s program and to download the Donate a Photo app.
- Inspire others to donate by sharing and tagging your personal hero on Facebook or Twitter using #carewithpride. Tell us how they made a difference in your life. Share it with your friends to help keep schools safe for future generations.
How are you taking a stand against bullying