Anti-bullying Efforts Bring Blindside Star Quinton Aaron to CFS
Quinton Aaron, who quickly rose to fame after his first lead role in the 2009 movie The Blind Side, recently visited CFS as part of his efforts to put a stop to bullying. Quinton, founder of the Quinton Aaron Foundation, and the Foundation’s Executive Director David Tyler met with CFS’s Dr. Tom Massey, who currently serves as Chair of the Hillsborough County Anti-bullying Advisory Committee.
“Our conversations centered on collaborations for anti-bullying awareness month, which is scheduled each October,” said Dr. Massey. “Bullying continues to be a pervasive, if often unseen, negative influence on the health and welfare of our youth. Working with someone like Quinton, who is looked upon very favorably by youth, will strengthen our community’s public awareness efforts, which must be addressed through multiple channels.”
Dr. Howard Goldstein, Associate Dean for Research for the USF College of Behavioral & Community Sciences also attended the meeting.
“Our research is enriched by interdisciplinary collaborations and active engagement with community partners,” said Dr. Goldstein. “Partnering with school districts and foundations such as Quinton’s is certainly essential to building healthy communities.“
Aaron, who now lives in the Tampa Bay area in Pasco County established his foundation in 2012 to raise awareness about bullying and childhood obesity.As part his foundation, a new app known as CensorOut is being distributed free. It is a comment control application that helps to put a dent in online cyberbullying, spam, haters and any other negative content the user wishes to not see on Instagram and other social media platforms.
“This app is something I feel sure parents, teachers and students will benefit from greatly,” added Dr. Massey. “We look forward to collaborating with Quinton and his Foundation, and all local organizations wishing to address the negative impacts of bullying.”
(Photo above left to right: David Tyler, Dr. Howard Goldstein, Quinton Aaron and Dr. Tom Massey)