Students at Windsor Central Middle School heard a powerful anti-bullying message on Wednesday.
Sweethearts & Heroes speakers Tom Murphy and Sgt. Rick Yarosh, a Windsor native and Purple Heart recipient who was severely burned while serving in Iraq, shared the importance of hope and kindness to help each other through difficult times.

Murphy, a veteran mixed-martial arts fighter, began his presentation to students with a message that seemed to contradict his experience.

“I hate fighting. I’ve never solved my problems that way. I never will,” said Murphy.

He and Yarosh went on to share what they call the five bully buttons:

• Perspective: 

The ability to change one's point of view in a situation. 

• H.O.P.E.: 

An acronym for "Hold On, Possibilities Exist," which provides a message of hope and resilience, particularly in the face of hopelessness and suicide. 

• Sweethearts: 

The concept of being compassionate and bringing hope to those who feel hopeless. 

• Jump Into Action: 

The idea of acting decisively and differently from how one might feel, to intervene in a bullying situation. 

• Heroes: 

The call to be a supportive and heroic individual for others, especially those experiencing bullying. 

Yarosh told students his harrowing near-death experience in Iraq when his Bradley tank drove over an improvised explosive device (IED), his grueling recovery, and the role hope played in getting him to where he is today.

“If you give up on that thing, you will never get the results of getting through that thing. And I’ll tell you, the tougher the thing is you need to get through, the greater that reward,” said Yarosh.  “You may not recognize it yet, but you possess the H.O.P.E. that many seek.”