For the past five years, Jane and Joe Clementi have tried to ensure the death of their son, Tyler Clementi – the Rutgers University freshman who jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge after being cyber-bullied over his sexuality – was not in vain.
In 2011, they formed the Tyler Clementi Foundation with hopes of helping other LGBT kids from meeting the same fate.
It has also helped them heal.
“I am finally waking up out of a cloudy place,” Jane, of Ridgewood, New Jersey, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Things are falling into place. It’s a daily battle and struggle. At this point, the foundation is helpful in that I get to meet many people. I do a lot of speaking. ”
Their latest endeavour is #Day 1 – an anti-bullying campaign that aims at stopping bullying before it begins, which already has a slew of celebrities publicly voicing their support.
Read more at people.com
The National Education Association (NEA), CBS Sunday Morning and Actress Megan Mullally have joined The Tyler Clementi Foundation (TCF) in launching #Day1, a major national initiative to end online and offline bullying in schools, workplaces and sports programs.
Tyler Clementi Foundation : Urging “Upstander Pledges” to Prevent Bullying in the U.S