The mother of a boy who was bullied while out for a walk says her son is overwhelmed by the support and positivity from the community.
That support included going for a walk with the mayor, who reached out after hearing what happened.
"It's one thing to have your mom be a big supporter, but it's another altogether to have people who you don't know say they're here," said Guelph's Amberly Delesie about her 13-year-old son, Jordon Jones.
"It's just amazing to be honest."
Last Tuesday, Delesie posted on Facebook that her son was out for an evening walk on Willow Road when he was hit by a drink thrown by someone in a passing car.
Delesie, who said her son was already being bullied at school about his weight and sexuality, said he is now afraid to walk alone and get exercise.
“I am disgusted that people still treat others like trash,” she wrote in the post.
In an interview, Delesie explains she wrote and submitted that post a day after the incident in hopes that whoever had thrown the drink would read it.
“It’s an awful joke on anybody,” she said, “I wanted them to see it and realize that they made a horrible impact on a kid's life.”
When talking about her son, Delesie said Jordon is the ‘sweetest boy’ who is always offering to help people and spread acts of kindness.
“He literally gave his last $50 to a man in a wheelchair who was asking for money,” she said.
She adds her son has been bullied for years and was recently pulled out of school due to another student pulling a knife on him.
"He's been through a lot," she said.
Since making the post, it has received 177 comments from many people condemning the actions of the individual who threw the drink.
“Thats (sic) disgusting behaviour. So sad to hear this. Please pass this message to your son. He can be anything and look anyway he wants to. Sending good vibes his way!” commented one Facebook user.
“So sorry to hear this happened. Some people suck,” said another Facebook user.
Some residents also offered to walk with the boy, including mayor Cam Guthrie.
Guthrie, who said he was severely bullied from Grade 6 to Grade 9, said when he saw Delesie’s post about her son, the story really hit him.
“It brings up memories of what I went through, and him being the same age as me when I was really bullied, I just thought it would be good for me to talk to him about others who have gone through this bullying, unfortunately.” he said.
“I asked his mom if he ever wanted to go out for a walk,” Guthrie continues “And the mom reached out and said he would love to do that.”
Agreeing to meet, Guthrie and the boy went for a 15 minute walk on the afternoon of March 19. After the walk, Guthrie told both Delesie and her son to reach out to him if they needed anything else by giving them his personal phone number. Delesie adds she took a photo of Guthrie with Jordon to keep for memories.
She mentions her son had a good walk and that Guthrie helped Jordon feel better.
“He definitely did not have to give me his cell number, his personal number, for Jordon to reach him at,” said Delesie.
Guthrie wasn’t the only person to check in with Jordon. Delesie mentions Franklin and Tammy Douglas from the Royal City Roller Derby also visited her son later that night.
“They just sat on the front porch with him and talked to him about bullying, and tried to make him feel better,” she recalls, “and let him know that he’s got the support of the roller derby team, and wanted to make sure he knew that people cared, it was very, very kind.”
With everything that happened, Delesie said Jordon hopes by sharing his experience, that other kids will feel more comfortable seeking help with bullying.
“He wants to stop it for other kids,” she said.
