As heartbreaking as it is to acknowledge, many kids these days are facing severe bullying at school–and not getting enough help to get through it. That's why the story of 16-year-old Whitney Kropp is especially heartening. After the Michigan student became the butt of a cruel joke at the hands of her so-called peers, Kropp was humiliated…until she decided to finally take a stand. Now, her entire town is rallying to show support for the brave teenager and help her put her tormenters in their place once and for all.
Earlier this month, Kropp was surprised and thrilled to learn that she had been nominated to homecoming court. Her happiness quickly turned to humiliation when she realized it had all been part of a joke by other students, who thought it would be funny to nominate someone outside of the "popular" crowd. When the boy nominated alongside her dropped out because he apparently didn't want to be associated with her, Kropp almost decided to do the same.
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Luckily, her family convinced her not to and Kropp eventually took to Facebook to announce her courageous decision: "Going to homecoming to show them that I'm not a joke. I'm a beautiful person and you shouldn't mess with me!"
But her relatives weren't the only ones to lend Kropp their support–when residents of the small town caught wind of the prank, they took action. A Facebook page on her behalf was created, drawing hundreds of encouraging messages. And that's not all–local business owners were so moved that they decided to lend their services to Kropp, donating her homecoming dress, shoes, salon treatments, and more.
Aww! Isn't that amazing? As heartbreaking as it is that Kropp ever had to be put in this situation in the first place, it's so incredible to see that not only did she stand up for herself, she also gained the support of her community and people around the world who have been touched by her story. Her bravery and strength are incredibly inspiring and I just hope that she now realizes that she shouldn't be afraid to be herself, especially since she has a whole team behind her.
Enjoy homecoming, Whitney!
Image via Support Whitney Kropp/facebook
