Metropolis Comics will be holding a fundraiser on Wednesday, Feb. 26 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., to raise funds for a child that attempted to commit suicide after being bullied for being a fan of “My Little Pony.”
Michael Morones is an 11-year-old boy from North Carolina that is suffering from brain damage after attempting to commit suicide by hanging himself for being picked on for his love of the franchise.
George Nunez, event coordinator of the Active Minds Club, felt that his club should step in because it was made to deal with situations involving brain disorders.
“We help break down the taboos about mental health disorders,” Nunez said. “Ranging from stress and depression to the more severe things like schizophrenia.”
“My Little Pony” has a male following called “bronies” and although Nunez doesn’t understand the following, he knows what the show meant to Morones.
“He’s hyperactive and was able to relate to one of the ponies in the show, that’s very happy, go lucky,” he said. “He didn’t really seem to hide it and wore the accessories and he got picked on for it.”
Ashly Campbell, an employee at Metropolis Comics, says that the comic book community is accepting of anyone, no matter what comics he or she is into.
“If you like ‘My Little Pony’, it’s OK with us. To know that an 11-year-old boy was bullied so brutally, to the point that he wanted to commit suicide, it’s impacted the manager to have the event.”
When Campbell was first told of the event by the manager John Berry, she thought it was great because she could relate to the story as a mother.
“If I was that parent, I would totally lose my mind,” she said. “I think that it’s incredibly wonderful what John (Berry) is doing and I completely support him. And I am trying to do whatever I can to help make this event better.”
Steven Palacios, undecided major, feels that if people stop and think how hurtful their words could be, then many people would realize how much damage bullying can do regardless of age.
“It could be the end of the world for a small thing and if they are getting bullied a lot, they might not know what to do or how to stand up for themselves.”
Metropolis Comics is located at 16509 Bellflower Blvd. in Bellflower and will donate all of the proceeds from the event to the family, to help with Morones’ recovery.
To donate to the cause or to find out more about about the foundation you can go to the Michael Morones Foundation website.
