Office Depot and One Direction Team Up To Help Prevent Bullying {+Win a One Direction Gift Bag}

Earlier this month I told y'all about a great initiative that the Office Depot Foundation teamed up with super popstar's One Direction to help pave the way for a bully free learning environment with the “Be The Difference. Speak Up Against Bullying!” program.  With October being National Bullying Prevention Month, I think it's so important to spread the word in any way we can so we can bring more attention to this issue and help bring bullying to an end.

With every new thing I learn about The Office Depot Foundation, I like and respect them a little more and knowing that One Direction is doing their part to ensure a bully-free future for our kids, well, that just makes it a little easier for me as a mom to listen to Best Song Ever a million times a day (actually, I think I like that song almost as much as my 11 year old does). 

One Direction and Office Depot joined forces to benefit anti-bullying initiatives and in an effort to raise both awareness and funds to support anti-bullying initiative's in school nationwide, Office Depot and 1D kicked off a partnership earlier this year to pave the way for bully free learning environments.

Office Depot was kind enough to send us over a couple of gift bags filled with enough One Direction products from Office Depot to make any 1D fan nearly faint with excitement (as my daughter almost did when she saw her future husband Niall on the cover of one of the notebooks).  I must say, I love shopping at Office Depot to begin with because I can always find absolutely everything for school, but now, I'll be shopping there simply to feed my daughter's 1D addiction, seeing how the products were created to help fun anti-bullying programs in schools, I don't mind a bit. 

If you're a fan of Office Depot and you have a tween or teen One Direction fan, then you must check out these hot new products, designed specifically to help fund anti-bullying initiatives in schools...you have to admit, that's a pretty awesome partnership and cause!  You can check out all of the One Direction for Office Depot products at  the Office Depot website!

I have awesome news for all you parents with One Direction fans at home...I have a gift bag filled with One Direction products from Office Depot  to give away to one very lucky MIBR reader! 

WIN IT!
To enter this giveaway, simply leave a blog comment  telling me who your kiddo's favorite member of One Direction is.

Extra Entries (one extra entry each)
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Disclosure:  I received a gift bag full of One Direction products from Office Depot in order to facilitate my review...all opinions are my own!

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Be The Difference. Speak Up Against Bullying with Office Depot and One Direction

Bullying is a word that we hear all too often in 2013 and it's an issue that definitely takes the awareness and action of many to bring an end to the suffering of those who are bullied on a daily basis.  I've had my own experiences with bullies when I was in school and I've seen my own children in situations where they were being picked on that could have very easily turned to bullying, so any chance I have to bring more awareness to the issue--I'm there. 

I wrote a post recently about Office Depot and their National Backpack Program and this brand just continues to impress me with their outreach programs and in advance of National Bullying Prevention Month in October, Office Depot is getting some help from some very famous young men to help bring awareness to the epidemic of bullying.

When children are committing suicide and more than 160,000 are missing school on any given day, it’s more than a problem. It’s an epidemic – an epidemic called bullying. It’s facing children everywhere today, and while we’ve made a lot of progress, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

 

The Office Depot Foundation – the independent, nonprofit philanthropic arm of Office Depot - in partnership with Brooks Gibbs, one of the nation’s leading youth crisis counselors and bullying experts - is rolling out its “Be The Difference. Speak Up Against Bullying!” program in middle schools across the U.S. during the upcoming school year, with support from the global pop sensation band One Direction and Office Depot.

 

 

 

 

Gibbs, author of the book Love is Greater Than Hate, is conducting school assemblies for students as well as anti-bullying education sessions for parents, teachers and administrators around the nation throughout the school year. The campaign aims to give students the confidence and courage to use the Golden Rule as a strategy for reducing bullying. Gibbs’ “treat everyone like friends - even your enemies” philosophy enhances One Direction’s message of “Live Nice.”

 

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and initiatives like the Office Depot Foundation’s “Be The Difference. Speak Up Against Bullying!” program are working hard to put an end to the bullying epidemic. 

 

So do your part and help spread the word about the "Be The Difference. Speak Up Against Bullying!” campaign...putting an end to bullying has to start somewhere!

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The Office Depot Foundation: National Backpack Program

The best part about being a blogger (yes, there is definitely something more important than getting "swag") is having the opportunity to be the voice of brands when they are doing good, I love helping spread the word about programs and initiative that help give back.  While I don't often get the chance to shop at Office Depot (mostly because the closest one is an hour away), I do love going in and shopping every chance I get and when I find out that they do their part to help kids in need for back-to-school, well, that just makes me want to spend my money there even more.

Every child deserves to start the school year with a backpack and essential school supplies, but the sad reality is many families can’t afford these items. Making a difference to change this is The Office Depot Foundation and its National Backpack Program, which over the past 12 years has provided more than 2.9 million backpacks to children around the world.

 

 

 

 

This year, to mark the 13^th anniversary of the National Backpack Program, the Office Depot Foundation will donate 300,000 backpacks with essential school supplies to deserving children in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and internationally. By the end of 2013, Office Depot and the Office Depot Foundation will have donated more than 3 million backpacks and sackpacks since the inception of the program in 2001. But while these numbers are very large, the sackpacks make an impact on a singular level − one child at a time.  This year’s sackpacks designed in six different color combinations with kid-friendly graphics. Each one includes a zippered pouch containing a pen, pencil, pencil sharpener, eraser, 6” ruler and four crayons and I know that they made a huge impact on those lucky enough to snag one for back-to-school.

 

 

 

I love knowing that brands "get it", I appreciate being able to spend my money in a store that I know does their part to help those in need and give back and I love that Office Depot is one of those brands.  You can learn more about Office Depot's National Backpack Program online and make sure you "Like" Office Depot on Facebook, Follow @OfficeDepotFndn on Twitter for the latest news.

 

Disclosure:  I received samples of the products mentioned above in exchange for this post...all opinions are 100% my own!

 

 

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