“Take note, bullies everywhere.”
That’s the message U.S. actor Ashton Kutcher shared on his Facebook page, along with an online story about a special little boy from Sydney, N.S.
Xander Rose made international headlines when hundreds of tough-looking bikers escorted him to school last month. The 10-year-old Grade 4 student at Habourside Elementary had survived a particularly rough year of bullying by his fellow classmates.
In a powerful gesture of support, leather-clad bikers from across the province gathered in the small Nova Scotia town to drive the young motorcycle fan to school in a roaring procession that attracted worldwide attention.
In fact, one video detailing Rose’s entrance that day has attracted a whopping 11 million views on Facebook.
“It makes me feel real proud,” Rose’s father, Richard Rose, told CTV Atlantic on Monday. “He’s managed to speak to 11 million people. His story got out and that’s important.”
The fact that Kutcher, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, has also shared Rose’s story on the social network last week came as a big surprise to his family.
The bullied boy’s father said he had a hard time believing it at first and thought it might be one of Kutcher’s famous pranks from his hit show “Punk’d.”
“At first I had to wonder, ‘Is he going to ‘Punk’ me and my 10-year-old son?’ Richard Rose said with a laugh. “But thank you, Ashton. I appreciate it muchly.”
Kutcher’s post about Rose has garnered nearly 2,000 likes on his Facebook page.
Despite his story going viral and a shout-out from a famous celebrity, Rose is staying grounded. He said he’s just happy if his story comforts other bullied children.
“It makes me feel good because I feel like I’m helping other kids who are having the same problems,” Rose said.
With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald
Take note, bullies everywhere.
Posted by Ashton Kutcher on Tuesday, June 27, 2017
