Article by Elena Cox; Photos by Jen Parente
Beth Feldman may have only lived in New Rochelle for twelve years, but there is no doubt she now calls the city home. Feldman is a woman with many hats — she is a former TV executive who launched her own PR firm, founded Rolemommy.com, wrote two published books, freelances for numerous outlets (Huffington Post, Newsday and Westchester Parent magazine, to name a few) and is also on the boards of two nonprofit organizations. Did I mention she’s a mother of two?
Her latest project is in conjunction with Lifetime Digital, the online home of the popular cable television channel. Feldman, a Lifetime Mom blogger, is one of three “Lifetime Moms” who have taken steps to transform their communities in the fourth annual Clean Start Challenge.
Feldman has decided to raise awareness about self-esteem and bullying in schools and online by holding an event for families at Temple Israel in New Rochelle on March 3. Though she hopes the location of the event will not deter people from coming.
“It’s a forum for everyone in the community,” Feldman said. “It’s not just for members of the synagogue.”
The event seeks to bring all ages together —elementary school children will write essays about being bullied to be read by New Rochelle High School students. Feldman hopes to educated parents and children about the dangers of bullying.
Feldman herself was bullied as a child, which is part of the reason this charity hits so close to home.
“My daughter is at the same exact age where I was when kids started calling me ‘Stubby Beth,'” Feldman explained. “That middle-school time is the hardest time for kids and your heart breaks. As a parent who has been bullied, your heart breaks for them, and for the parents whose kids are the bullies, it’s tough.”
Speakers from outside the community will also attend.
Patrick Kohlmann, a 15 year old boy from Long Island posted an anti-bullying video to YouTube after he was routinely abused by his peers and his school did nothing. His parents have since sued the school for their failure to protect their son.
Krysten Moore, 21, won Miss Teen New Jersey in 2007, but the beauty queen didn’t have it easy in middle school. She now works to educate others about the harmful effects of bullying and how to make a difference.
Both are active members within Love Our Children USA.
The challenge, which started earlier this month, lasts 12 weeks with the moms uploading videos of their progress. Viewers are asked to vote for their favorite project and the winner will receive $10,000 to the charity of their choice, runners up receive $2,500. Feldman has chosen to donate to Love Our Children USA, a charity which advocates for child safety at school and at home. Other campaigns are a literacy campaign and one to help mothers become entrepreneurs.
“We’re all winners,” Feldman insisted.
Though the past three years the contest has focused on individuals and their New Year’s resolutions, this year the network has decided to expand the contest to promote doing good in local communities.
“When you connect with the community, there’s no telling what you can accomplish,” Feldman explained. “New Rochelle happens to be a community of doers, so I feel very blessed to be living here and have that support system.”