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Nanaimo mall hosting ‘dance up to bullies’ event on Pink Shirt Day

Aunti Bobbi the Clown organizing song-and-dance fundraiser
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Bobbi Kurtz, a.k.a. Aunti Bobbi the Clown. (Photo submitted)

On Pink Shirt Day, there will be a lot of talk about standing up to bullies, but a Nanaimo woman wants community members to ‘dance up’ to bullies.

Bobbi Kurtz, a.k.a. Aunti Bobbi the Clown, is organizing a Pink Shirt Day fundraising event Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Woodgrove Centre’s centre court.

She hopes to lead participants in her Ripple Effect dance while raising money for the CKNW Kids Fund’s Pink Shirt Day efforts.

Kurtz wrote Ripple Effect and created the dance in hopes that it can be part of an international movement to celebrate diversity and promote tolerance, inclusion and acceptance of others, according to a press release.

“Let’s send the message that there is zero tolerance for bullying or harassment as we come together to dance in support of Pink Shirt Day,” said Kurtz in the release.

She said she was bullied in school and tried to fit in, but realized that when she tried to fit in, she was changing who she was to try to be accepted.

“Once I started to accept myself for who I am and celebrate my uniqueness I found where I belong,” Kurtz said. “It is a message I want to share because it is empowering and allows for inclusion, creative growth and builds a stronger community.”

Wednesday’s Pink Shirt Day event starts at 5 p.m. with the song and dance at 5:30 p.m. and prize draws at 5:45 p.m. Participants are asked to wear pink t-shirts and there will be some for sale at the event. Tax-deductible donations to the CKNW Kids Fund can be made online through www.rippleeffectdance.com.

READ ALSO: Don’t look away when bullying is happening



editor@nanaimobulletin.com

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