The Sweethearts & Heroes anti-bullying program was brought to the Falconer Central School District on Wednesday. The program was given in three different presentations for the high school, middle school and elementary. A meeting with counselors and administrators was held afterward. P-J photo by Jordan W. Patterson

FALCONER — Former MMA fighter and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Tom Murphy visited Falconer Central School on Wednesday. Despite previously making a living from fighting, Murphy brought with him a message of hope that focused on anti-bullying.

The Sweathearts & Heroes anti-bullying program, cofounded by Murphy and Jason Spector, educator and coach in Glens Falls, provided insight on the stereotypical idea of a bully and the modern age bully. Not only did Murphy single out bullies and bullying, he detailed the victims of bullying and the bystanders of the situation.

At one point during the middle-school presentation, Murphy declared the bystanders as being the biggest proponents of bullying by not intervening. Murphy compared the stop, drop and roll method to extinguishing a fire to his method of stopping a bully. He called it the ABC approach. “A” stands for “away” and the act of removing the victim from the bullying. “B” stands for “buddy” and befriended the victim. “C” represents “confront” and the bystander confronting the situation and the bully.

Murphy compared the amount of people who know the method of stop, drop and roll to the amount of people who find themselves caught on fire as opposed the amount of people who witness an act of bullying who know what to do in that situation.

Throughout the presentation, Murphy described his five “bully buttons.” Those buttons included Perspective, Hold On Possibilities Exist (HOPE), Sweethearts, Jump Into Action and Heroes.

Each “button” was designated with its own discussion and demonstration on how the topic can end bullying. For HOPE and Sweethearts, Rick Varosh, retired U.S. Army veteran, took the stage accompanied by his service dog. Varosh was severely injured when a Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) he and his fellow servicemen were traveling was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Varosh was left severely burned all over his body crippling his hands and causing the loss of his right leg. He detailed how he lost hope numerous times throughout his journey back from his injury.

Because the burns on his face have left him changed forever, he grew accustomed to people reacting in a negative manner when they first meet him. He told the story of an encounter with a little girl at a restaurant years ago when she saw him for the first time. After being initially hesitant to approach Varosh, she was greeted by kind words from the former serviceman. She ran back to her table leaving Varosh assuming she was scared as he had experienced this reaction before. But instead the little girl told her family how nice Varosh was.

Varosh told the middle-school students that the little girl’s kind words gave him “a bucket of hope” and changed his life forever. He employed those in audience to do the same to strangers they meet and spread kindness instead of hate.

Murphy continued the presentation detailing the remaining buttons of bullying and ended with being a hero. He challenged ever student to be a hero. He used Superman as an example and how the fictional superhero treats everyone he saves the same regardless of their appearance or background.