Council of Business Partners Fund
We can all make a difference if we stand together.
In September 2009, a dedicated group of Middlesex County business leaders took a stand against bullying. Working through the Community Foundation of Middlesex County (CFMC), these leaders established the Council of Business Partners Fund and, with the help of Rushford, a Hartford Healthcare partner, developed and funded the “No Bully Zone” Program. In 2014, CFMC’s Council of Business Partners joined with partners from Middlesex County and throughout Connecticut to launch the Campaign for Bully-Free Communities – calling everyone to stand together and take the bully-free communities’ pledge.
The “No Bully Zone” program teaches students how to identify, address and report incidents of bullying. The program was launched in Keigwin Middle School and Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Middletown as The Safe Squad. Student volunteers who participate in the program are trained as peer leaders by certified prevention staff and are taught anti-bullying, decision-making and communication skills. To date, the “No Bully Zone” program has been implemented in the Haddam-Killingworth school district, in Oddfellows Playhouse projects; at The Country School in Madison; and in conjunction with The First Tee of Connecticut youth programs. The program has also been adapted for school bus travel on buses operated by M&J Bus Inc.
The Council of Business Partners includes: A&A Office Systems; A.R. Mazzotta Employment Specialists; BEST Cleaners; The Black Seal; Brown & Brown of CT, Inc.
; Connecticut Lighting Centers, Inc.; Direct Energy; Essex Printing/Events Magazines; Lenny & Joe’s Fish Tale; Mahoney Sabol & Co., LLP; Mallove’s Jewelers, Middletown; M&J Bus Company, Inc.; The Rossi Group; Elizabeth Shulman, LFMT; Suburban Stationers, Inc.; and St. Mary’s Church in Portland and Congregation Adath Israel in Middletown of the Interfaith Golf Open Tournament.
