February 6, 1998 was a day that changed the lives of Mike and Brenda Neuts forever. Devastation struck their lives when their 10-year-old son, Myles, was found hanging on a coat hook in the washroom at his school during the lunch period. Sadly, Myles never went home again.

What followed was a funeral, a police investigation and a coroner’s inquest where Mike and Brenda acted as their own legal counsel.  Their experiences during this time of loss and investigation gave this family greater insights into the lives, behaviours, issues and concerns of children.

Out of this tragedy was birthed the Myles Neuts’ Make Children Better Now Association, a non-profit organization with a focus on making a difference in the lives of children.  They do this by providing opportunities for the education of youth, parents and professionals with respect to the emotional, physical and mental health ramifications of unacceptable behaviours in youth. They are also advocates to government, politicians and school boards and any other professionals who are working for the betterment of children’s lives.

Mike has spent the last two decades bringing his anti-bullying message to children, parents and teachers all across Canada and the United States.  He is passionate about students realizing their inherent value as individuals, so that they might believe in themselves and come forward to seek help when bullied. Many victims of bullying are warned not to tell, being threatened with harm or humiliation, and out of fear, they suffer in silence instead of seeking help. Mike says, “Victims have to speak out. You have to tell someone, whoever you trust, and get help where you can find it.” He goes on to say, “For parents, that means getting our children to talk to us, and paying attention to the signs that things aren’t okay at school.  Children must be safe to tell the truth and be heard.”

Mike’s message is impactful, and he has had the privilege of sharing it in schools to over 200 000 children and adults.  It is the hope of the Neuts that the message shared will save the lives of other children, because their haunting and true story is one that the hearer cannot ignore or deny.

We at No One Stands Alone understand the mental health toll that bullying takes on the children, which is but one of the reasons we include mental health resources for children in our booklets.  We thank the Myles Neuts Make Children Better Now Association for their generous support of our mission.

To learn more about the Make Children Better Now Association, please visit www.makechildrenbetternow.com or take the time to watch this informative and moving video below.