MONTPELIER, June 5, 2014- 12-year-old Montpelier resident and founder of the organization “Girls Against Bullying Girls (G.A.B Girls)” Elayna Hasty held a seminar on June 5 for girls aged 5-8 at the Montpelier Public Library.
Elayna, daughter of Andrew and Laura Leese of Montpelier, created her organization G.A.B. Girls at the age of 9, and has been working hard to bring girls together to help prevent bullying and support those who are being bullied. The organization was created after Elayna witnessed the bullying of her very close friend and she resolved to do something about it. Ms. Hasty’s presentation has a goal of “teaching young girls about beauty from within and that all girls are their own unique princess.” Elayna’s presentation is delivered with passion and her infectious smile made the entire room feel at ease and enjoying the message being conveyed. For the June 5 presentation, Elayna read the attendees the book “The Princess Within Me,” which follows the story of three regular girls who transform into princesses with super powers, but in order to retain their newfound powers, they must agree to help others, work as a team and never brag or boast about their special abilities. During the story, Ms. Hasty perfectly weaves the lessons in the book into real situations a young girl may face and provides suggestions on how to handle bullying behavior in day to day life. The seminar also incorporates fun games to illustrate teamwork and lessons about being kind to others.
Elayna Hasty’s organization, “G.A.B. Girls” seeks to establish the traits of “compassion, leadership, courage, passion, positive attitudes, dedication and support,” and has several upcoming events scheduled. “Yes F.M Radio” will interview Ms. Hasty in the next few weeks and Elayna will be delivering a keynote address at the “Kids Are Hero’s” Young Leaders Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, which will take place on Saturday, February 7, 2015.
Ms. Hasty has built a comprehensive website to support her organization and additional information may be found at (http://gabgirls.wix.com/gabgirls). The website features complete information on Elayna’s organization as well as an area where visitors may provide their own story about bullying and read about ways to overcome bullying behavior. The website also features videos, links to important literature regarding bullying as well as contact information. Additionally, Elayna also has a Face Book Site (FB G.A.B. Girls) that young girls are encouraged to join and interact.
At the completion her June 5 seminar, participants each received a gift bag along with anti-bullying literature. Attendees also received a special gift card from “Cookies On Demand” of Montpelier and “G.A.B. Girls” would like to thank them for their tremendous support. Those interested in gathering more information about “G.A.B. Girls” are encouraged to visit the website or Face Book page. Individuals who would like to help support Elayna’s organization or make a donation of support may contact Laura Leese or Elayna through her WebPages.