An Evening with National Anti-Bullying Speaker, Kirk Smalley

More information about collaborative projects involving A Walk in Their Shoes coming soon!!

• "I Am Somebody" - Anti-Bullying Project 

• Band of Brothers

• WASP

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"I Am Somebody" - Anti-Bullying Project

Kirk Smalley will be presenting at Wausau East Auditorium on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 from 7:00-8:30 PM.  Admission is free!

Featured in the award winning documentary, Bully, on The Today Show, and most recently on CNN: The Bully Effect with Anderson Cooper, Kirk Smalley will be coming to Central Wisconsin to share his story and offer education and tools that will prevent his personal tragedy, the suicide of his eleven-year-old son, Ty, from happening to another child and family. 

In response to his unimaginable tragedy he and his wife founded Stand for the Silent, which exits as a platform to allow for change to happen across the nation.  Kirk's mission is to continue to change kids' lives and bring awareness to bullying and the real devastation it causes.  Kirk has traveled to hundreds of schools and spoken to thousands of students.  In May of 2010, The Smalley's were invited to the White House where they met with President Obama and the First Lady in the nations first ever White House conference on bullying.  

Please don't miss this chance to be a part of something that has the power to educate our youth and change our schools.

"Everything starts with one and builds up. One by one, two by two, and eventually we have an Army.  If we all do it together, we will change the world." - Kirk Smalley

Fox News PSA:

Movie Trailer: Bully

                                      

President Obama's Anti-Bullying Message:

Testimonies from viewers who have seen Kirk Smalley's presentations:

• "He was really inspirational. He inspires us to come back to school and to fight what he is fighting for."

• "His presentation had an immediate and lasting impact."

• "You could have heard a pin drop as he talked... the presentation is that poignant and moving."

• "Life changing."

For more information on this amazing event please contact Sarah Murphy via e-mail at: 

smurphy {at} wausauschools {dot} org

John Halligan will be presenting at Wausau East Auditorium on Monday, November 26th from 7:00-8:30 PM.  Admission is free!

John Halligan shares his son's powerful story
and the deep impact of bullying on his family.

Featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Primetime with Diane Sawyer, and The Today Show among many others, John Halligan is a nationally known speaker coming to Central Wisconsin to present about the need for the education and prevention of bullying, cyber-bullying, and teen suicide. Mr. Halligan lost his son, Ryan, to suicide on October 7, 2003 at the age of 13. At the time of his death, Ryan was a student at a middle school in Vermont. It was revealed in great detail after Ryan’s death that he was ridiculed and humiliated by peers at school and on-line.

In memory of his son and in just a few months after Ryan’s death, Mr. Halligan spearheaded the Vermont Bullying Prevention law in 2004. He also led the passing of a law in 2006 pertaining to suicide prevention education in public schools. Mr. Halligan has been outspoken about the need for more education and prevention of bullying, cyber-bullying and teen suicide throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America.  

On November 26, 2012, John Halligan will be at Wausau East High School from 7 to 8:30pm to share his courageous story of Ryan, to give advice, and to raise awareness about cyber-bullying.

Testimonies from viewers who have seen John Halligan's presentation:

• "This was the most powerful presentation I have listened to in my 26 years of teaching."

• "Fabulous and heart wrenching.  This needs to get to ALL schools and communities."

• John has taken an ink blot and turned it into a butterfly..."

• Absolutely outstanding!  He captivated the audience and made a lasting impression on everyone present."

• "Incredible." 

For more information on this amazing event please contact Sarah Murphy via e-mail at: 

smurphy {at} wausauschools {dot} org

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Band of Brothers

More on the Band of Brothers coming soon...

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WASP
More information about WASP coming soon...

Please Join Us for "An Evening with William Kamkwamba" this Tuesday!

Please join A Walk in Their Shoes for an evening we’ve been eagerly awaiting. On Tuesday, March 19, 2013, William Kamkwamba, author of the New York Times Bestseller The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, will be the featured speaker for 2013 A Walk in Their Shoes event, An Evening with William Kamkwamba. The event will be held in the Auditorium at Wausau East High School beginning at 7:00 PM. The event is free and open to the public.

As a teenager in Malawi, Africa, William, his family, and his country faced the ravages of a horrific drought. Little food and even less family funds meant William could not continue his education. So, inspired to bring electricity to his family home, he tackled his own learning, studying books from a lending library and learning how to construct a working wind turbine from scrap metal and other materials. William never gave up on completing his machine until his homemade windmill produced electricity for his home.

His windmill drew more than electricity as interest in his ingenuity and creativity developed not only from the Malawian government but TEDGlobal (Technology, Entertainment, and Design). In 2007, William Kamkwamba became a TED Fellow, traveling to Tanzania to participate in a TED Conference with scientists and inventors from across the globe. Conference participants were mesmerized by his story. His invention led to his selection as a finalist for the Tech Museum Award and a place at the African Leadership Academy.  In September, 2008, William started as one of 97 inaugural students at the new pan-African prep school based outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. Its mission is to educate the next generation with rigorous academics, ethical leadership training, entrepreneurship and design.

William’s spirit of invention and his search for knowledge led him to enroll as a student at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where he is currently majoring in Environmental Studies. William minors in Engineering and is set to graduate from Dartmouth in 2014.

Students from across Marathon County will hear William Kamkwamba’s inspiring story at two presentations on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. William will also appear at the Sentry Theater in Stevens Point on Wednesday evening, March 20 at 7:00 PM, and at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Thursday morning, March 21.

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Don't forget to check out William's books and a few short videos about him below. If you'd like to read a digital copy of the children's version of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, head over to WeGiveBooks.org and create an account. It's free!

Pictures provided by williamkamkwamba.typepad.com

Moving Windmills

Homes of Distinction Tour - Help Us Stay Free and Open

A Walk in Their Shoes is lucky to be partnering with Homes of Distinction to raise money and keep our program free and open to the public. The Homes of Distinction Tour, featuring a beautiful new home in Wausau, will benefit A Walk in Their Shoes because all proceeds go to keeping our program free to the public and more sustainable for future events. Please join us from February 21 - March 3 on Thursdays - Saturdays at 11am – 6pm and Sundays noon - 6pm for a tour of a beautiful new home in Wausau. You may receive an opportunity to talk to the builders and contractors yourselves and meet members and volunteers from A Walk in Their Shoes. For more information, please see the resources below. Thank you all for your continual support!

Homes of Distinction Website

WAOW Advertisement 1

WOAW Advertisement 2

"I Am Somebody" - Anti-Bullying Project

John Halligan will be presenting at Wausau East Auditorium on Monday, November 26 from 7:00-8:30 PM.  Admission is free!

John Halligan shares his son's powerful story
and the deep impact of bullying on his family.

Featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Primetime with Diane Sawyer, and The Today Show among many others, John Halligan is a nationally-known speaker coming to Central Wisconsin to present about the need for the education and prevention of bullying, cyber-bullying, and teen suicide. Mr. Halligan lost his son, Ryan, to suicide on October 7, 2003 at the age of 13. At the time of his death, Ryan was a student at a middle school in Vermont. It was revealed in great detail after Ryan’s death that he was ridiculed and humiliated by peers at school and on-line.

In memory of his son and in just a few months after Ryan’s death, Mr. Halligan spearheaded the Vermont Bullying Prevention law in 2004. He also led the passing of a law in 2006 pertaining to suicide prevention education in public schools. Mr. Halligan has been outspoken about the need for more education and prevention of bullying, cyber-bullying and teen suicide throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America.  

On November 26, 2012, John Halligan will be at Wausau East High School from 7 to 8:30pm to share his courageous story of Ryan, to give advice, and to raise awareness about cyber-bullying.

Testimonies from viewers who have seen John Halligan's presentation:

• "This was the most powerful presentation I have listened to in my 26 years of teaching."

• "Fabulous and heart wrenching.  This needs to get to ALL schools and communities."

• John has taken an ink blot and turned it into a butterfly..."

• Absolutely outstanding!  He captivated the audience and made a lasting impression on everyone present."

• "Incredible." 

For more information on this amazing event please contact Sarah Murphy via e-mail at: 

smurphy {at} wausauschools {dot} org

A Walk in Their Shoes at MREA

The Midwest Renewable Energy Association gave us a great opportunity to make some strong connections with innovative local and nationwide energy-related businesses in our hope to expand the audience of A Walk in Their Shoes. People from all over showed a great interest in hearing William Kamkwamba's story, and we were surprised at how many people have already read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.  Also, we were impressed at how many teachers and staff members from school districts all over the state showed interest in working together with A Walk in Their Shoes. If you couldn't make it out to the fair, and you're interested in collaborating with A Walk in Their Shoes, please feel free to contact us. 

We would like to extend a special thank you to Ellie Jackson at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association for providing us with this unique opportunity. What a great event!

Pictures provided by williamkamkwamba.typepad.com

If you haven't checked out The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, be sure to pick up a copy and give it a read. Don't forget; William Kamkwamba has also written a picture book version for younger students. Go check it out!

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Colin and Corey at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - Part I

Image by Good Reads

Exciting news! We have made some initial contact with an agency that represents William Kamkwamba--author of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. William's memoir has a version for more experienced readers and a picture book version for young readers. He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Show, and on TED. His story is one that has motivated people all around the world, and it has brought him from Malawi to Dartmouth. We truly hope we can find a way to bring William to Marathon County.

Here is a quick video about William:

Greetings from a New Domain

Hello, everybody! Welcome to our new web domain, www.awalkintheirshoes.net. We intend to stay at this domain for a while, so thank you for your patience as we transitioned away from our older web page. You can still find us at www.facebook.com/awalkintheirshoes. We will continue to run both sites in tandem and keep everyone as updated as possible on our newest endeavors. Thank you all for your continual support.