You might’ve heard about the story about a young boy getting bullied for wearing a homemade University of Tennessee t-shirt and then the school made it official gear?
Here was the original post from the boy’s teacher that went viral and got the ball rolling.
Well, this cool story got even better recently. Not only did the University of Tennessee make the boy’s drawing official merchandise for the school, they offered him a 4-year scholarship.
Share in a Florida elementary student's Volunteer pride by wearing his design on your shirt too! Pre-order today for a late September expected delivery. A portion of proceeds from every shirt sold will be donated to @STOMPOutBullyng .https://t.co/NdnTtYREFL pic.twitter.com/OeTZvgC09Y
— VolShop (@UTVolShop) September 6, 2019
And then, the UT marching band decided to wear the young boy’s t-shirt design as well. The music makers wore the shirts during a home football game on September 14 versus the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. It was a 45-0 victory for the Volunteers, by the way.
University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman provided the t-shirts to the marching band.
Thank you Chancellor @DondePlowman for providing the shirts for the Pride today! Proud to support a young Vol fan and a great cause! Go Vols! #antibullying pic.twitter.com/2LuPgT2mde
— UT Bands (@potsband) September 14, 2019
So far, more than 50,000 of the t-shirts that the boy designed have been pre-ordered. The boy’s design has been spotted all over the UT campus as well. The Rock is a landmark on campus and was recently painted to look like the boy’s shirt.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2NF0wDgKgi/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=dlfix
The boy’s mom said about the outpouring of support, “I can tell you that I spent a lot of my day reading all the kind words in support of my son and am touched beyond words. I know that he will be over the moon when he receives his UT Vols shirt and blown away by the support of all these people he’s never even met!”
The story became so popular that students as far away as Pennsylvania decided to show their support for the boy.
Winding Creek stands with The University of Tennessee @UTKnoxville today as we proudly wore orange in support of the anti-bullying story they championed. Hundreds of our kids came in a wave of orange as we spread the hope for school environments built on kindness. @CVSDnews pic.twitter.com/pXTkjL0k8x
— Winding Creek Elementary School (@WC_WolfPack) September 12, 2019
More of this in the world, please!
What do you think? Inspired by such a kind gesture? Let us know what you think in the comments!
