When 12-year-old Brody Ridder got home from school at the end of the year with his yearbook, it wasn’t the lack of signatures that caught his mom’s eye, it was the note Ridder wrote to himself: “Hope you make more friends. – Brody Ridder.”
In a now viral post on Facebook, Ridder’s mom Cassandra Ridder said that despite her son asking all kinds of kids to sign his yearbook, just a couple did. She told NPR that Brody had been bullied for months at school. “My poor son. Doesn’t seem like it’s getting any better. 2 teachers and a total of 2 students wrote in his yearbook… My heart is shattered ???????? Teach your kids kindness,” she wrote on Facebook.
Since his story captured the hearts of locals and beyond, Brody, who lives in Westminster, has made a collection of new friends, including actor Paul Rudd. According to public posts on Cassandra Ridder’s Facebook page, Rudd recently FaceTimed the sixth grader to offer his support and sent a Marvel-ous care package with a signed “Ant-Man” helmet.
“It’s important to remember that even when life is tough that things get better,” read a note from Rudd, who plays the titular superhero. “There are so many people that love you and think you’re the coolest kid there is – me being one of them!”
Rudd was hardly the only person to respond with kind words for Brody after Cassandra Ridder’s post about her son being bullied went viral. Older students from the district came “in waves” to Brody’s class asking to sign his yearbook, he told MSNBC. The cast of “Dear Evan Hansen” also invited Brody and his mom to see the play on Broadway – and please bring your yearbook, they said.
“The outpouring of support means the world to Brody and our family,” Cassandra Ridder told The Denver Post via Facebook message. “Just reading all the positivity has been extremely heartwarming. There are so many people out there that relate to what Brody has gone through, and I’m so sorry to hear that, and we are there for you guys too!”
Cassandra and Brody Ridder have also recently teamed up with The UGLI Foundation in an effort to end bullying and inspire others to be “UGLI” – an acronym for unique, gifted, loved and individual. Cassandra was not immediately available to discuss the details, but we’ll be catching up with her Monday evening to learn more about the partnership.
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