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This year marks two powerful milestones in Morgan Guess’s journey to end bullying in Kentucky: the 10th annual Scarves in the Park tradition and the 10th anniversary of Senate Bill 228, the landmark legislation that formally defined bullying and now protects all 640,000 Kentucky public school students.

We’re also thrilled to share that:

• The Commonwealth of Kentucky has approved a “Be Kind” specialty license plate, helping spread the message of kindness across the state while funding the state’s youth mental health drop-in centers.
• There are now nine “Be Kind” murals across Paducah and McCracken County, each one a vibrant, public reminder of the power of kindness in action. Two of the nine support mental health

How It All Began

Fourteen years ago, when Morgan was just eight years old, she was bullied by a classmate. She didn’t tell anyone and suffered in silence. By the time her mother, Susan, discovered what was happening, Morgan was experiencing stomach spasms and panic attacks. Her pediatrician diagnosed her with clinical depression, and she was prescribed anti-depressants for more than a year.

Susan gave Morgan a choice: she could ignore what happened, blame others, or become part of the solution. Morgan chose to take action—and she never looked back.

Together, they founded the Guess Anti-Bullying Foundation, quickly earning national recognition. Their work has been featured on CNN, The Huffington Post, and American Girl magazine.

Legislative Advocacy and National Recognition

Morgan and Susan were appointed by then-Governor Steve Beshear to a statewide task force on youth bullying. Morgan not only spoke at the Governor’s press conference launching the initiative but was also selected by the 26-member task force as its spokesperson. She lobbied for the passage of Senate Bill 228, formally defining bullying in Kentucky law. Morgan testified before the legislature and later stood beside now-Governor Matt Bevin as the bill was signed into law.

Honors and Awards

Morgan’s courage and leadership have earned her widespread recognition, including:

• Kentucky’s Top Youth Volunteer (Governor Steve Beshear)
• Top 10 Youth Volunteers in America (Prudential Spirit of Community Awards)
• First-Ever Caring Champion (Harvard University’s Making Caring Common Project)
• Hasbro Community Action Hero
• Zonta International Young Woman in Public Affairs Award

Spreading Kindness and Building Community

Morgan and Susan founded a nonprofit to provide bullying prevention education and resources to schools. They won a national contest to host a screening of the documentary Bully, and director Lee Hirsch even visited Paducah

to support their cause. The foundation continues to offer educational toolkits from the film to any school in Kentucky that commits to using them.

They’ve brought national voices to Paducah to inspire and educate thousands of students, including:

• Jodee Blanco, activist and author
• Missy Jenkins Smith, Paducah school shooting survivor
• Kirk Smalley, founder of Stand for the Silent

Their story was recently featured by Upworthy, and Sheryl Sandberg highlighted their work on OptionB.org as a testament to resilience and healing.

Creating a Culture of Kindness

To extend their mission beyond the classroom and legislature, the Guess Foundation launched a series of community-wide kindness initiatives:

• Inside Out Project (Paducah edition): Raised the voices of bullied girls through public art.
• Paducah Kindness Color Walk: An annual event to launch each school year with a citywide commitment to kindness.
• Nine #BeKind Murals Across Paducah and McCracken County: Public art installations that serve as visual anchors for community-led kindness campaigns.
• Scarves in the Park: Now in its 10th year, this Christmas Eve tradition invites locals to hang scarves on trees for the homeless and those in need.
• And now, with the launch of Kentucky’s “Be Kind” license plate, the message of compassion and courage will travel even farther—across highways, communities, and lives.

Morgan media stories:
Here’s her testimony:
https://www.ket.org/legislature/?archive&nola=WGAOS+017090 (scroll over to 50.00)

Video:

Hasbro: Be Fearless Be Kind:
https://optionb.org/stories/our-first-challenge-was-to-protect-her-to-let-her-know-that-she-was-valued-and-heard-and-believed-b1pysxvae

Morgan’s story summarized:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxSo5fZ-Pj1DeEJFYk84Z0FIVlE/view

Morgan speaking at first Governor press conference announcing task force:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXj6KuwRkK0

Governor press conference results:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hAKt5v_5yY

Legislative update: (scroll over to 18.15)
https://www.ket.org/episode/KGAOS%20002825/

Option B website:
https://optionb.org/stories/our-first-challenge-was-to-protect-her-to-let-her-know-that-she-was-valued-and-heard-and-believed-b1pysxvae