Gawker: - "...Karen Klein, the upstate New York bus monitor who became the face of America's bullying problem when a video of schoolchildren taunting her went viral earlier this year, has launched an anti-bullying foundation she hopes will put an end to it once and for all. The Karen Klein Anti-Bullying Foundation is an offshoot of the GiveBack Foundation, a public charity that allows people to start their own "personal foundation." To kick things off, Klein seeded the foundation with $100,000 from the Indiegogo fund opened in her name by Canadian Max Sidorov in the aftermath of the bullying incident. That "vacation fund" was able to raise over $700,000 for Klein, the majority of which she used in order to retire from her job as a bus monitor. One of the foundation's first initiatives will be a music tour called the No Bully Tour 2012. "If we were able to raise $700,000 for one person," Klein writes, "I am sure we can raise thousands more for kids who are bullied every day..." - Neetzan Zimmerman (READ MORE)
People: - "..."I keep thinking, 'What have I done?' " the Greece Central School District employee said during an in-studio interview on Monday's Today show. "It's like I almost don't feel like I deserve it." The campaign, originally intended to send her off on "a vacation of a lifetime," has long surpassed its goal of $5,000. So how will she use her money? "What would anybody do with that much money?" she said. She'll invest some, she said, and donate to charity. The grandmother of eight has plenty of family, and "they need, they need, they need," added Klein, who isn't sure if she'll return to her job come fall. But for Klein, who has since received apologies from some of the students on the bus, the outpouring of support has spanned beyond dollar signs. "What I am glad about is the fact that it has come out, and everyone knows what goes on," she said. "I've gotten so many notes from people who have been bullied, who've been very hurt, and my heart goes out to these people..." - Alison Schwartz (READ MORE)
Detroit Free Press: - "..."It all doesn't feel real," said Klein, as yet another television van parked in front of her house Friday afternoon to set up for a live broadcast and she waited for a telephone interview with the BBC. "You know, when I see that cash in my hand I'll believe it." Indiegogo spokeswoman Rose Levy said the company would ensure Klein gets the money. Doug Hendee, vice president and sales manager at Brighton Securities, said Klein is liable to pay taxes on the value of whatever straight-out gifts she accepts and would have to declare that amount as income. For example, if Klein accepted $500,000 all at once, she would have to set aside 45% of those funds for tax purposes. However, if any of the gifts are coming through a foundation or trust, she would not owe any tax on those amounts, Hendee said. If money is coming from a foreign country, that also complicates matters. Klein said she would take steps to protect herself and set aside any money needed for taxes. The spotlight and outpouring of community sympathy continues to shine on her. Locally, the Mall at Greece Ridge plans to honor Klein on Saturday afternoon with a $500 shopping spree and basket filled with products from several stores. The mall will also honor area school bus drivers and monitors this weekend..." - Meaghan M. McDermott (READ MORE)
"Making the Bus Monitor Cry" is one of three videos filmed in June 2012 which focused on a bus monitor/attendant, who was targeted for bullying by four schoolboys attending Greece Athena Middle School, with one of the bullies doing the filming. The video has gone viral and has received numerous video responses and news coverage, and a donation campaign was launched for the victim. The bus monitor, Karen Huff Klein, has worked as an employee of the Greece Central School District in upstate New York for 23 years, 20 as a bus driver and 3 as a bus monitor. The bus monitor has been a widow since c. 1995, and has eight grandchildren. She is partly deaf, and uses a hearing aid. At the time the video was shot, she was aged 68.- Wikipedia (READ MORE)
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