Romantic novel author finds inspiration from Unity Day

Posted: 3/9/2015

“I first learned about PACER when Ellen spotlighted the organization’s Unity day. So earlier this year, when my older son (10) was dealing with bullying at school, your work immediately came to mind. My son has mild Tourette’s Syndrome that manifests in twitching and other verbal and non-verbal tics. He’s been bullied and mocked before at other schools, but this time around he was the one stepping in to protect younger children being bullied by the boys in his class. I was so proud of him for wanting to be a knight in shining armor, but putting himself in the line of fire resulted in him being physically threatened, teased, and ostracized. I watched the light go out of his eyes a little more every day and it was so painful for our entire family to see our happy boy shut down emotionally. We ended up transferring my son to a charter school, where he has thrived.

That’s why I wrote SUNNY WITH A CHANCE OF TRUE LOVE and decided to donate 50% of the first month’s proceeds to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. I wanted to do something to help children who experienced similar, hurtful bullying situations. After publishing this romantic novel, so many women came forward with stories of their own bullying or situations where their children were struggling with bullying. This fundraiser not only ended in a nice sum to donate, but it also reminded me about the power of kindness and good people working together.”

— Jessie Evans

By: Jessie Evans