Suicide of Honor Roll Athlete Prompts Effort to Prevent Bullying

Anna Mendez, the executive director of the National Association of People Against Bullying, quoted a poster on her late son's bedroom wall as she stood before the San Clemente City Council this week:

"Its time for us as a people to start making changes," she said, using the words of hip hop artist Tupac Shakur.

In order to foment these changes, her organization and the student branch her daughter Victoria Mendez heads at San Clemente High School -- the Cool 2B Kind Club -- are holding a fundraising dance at the San Clemente Community Center.

Anna Mendez's son Daniel Mendez, a San Clemente High School student, was driven to suicide a couple years ago after constant bullying, she said. He was an honor roll student and an athlete.

"But that didn't stop him from being persecuted to the point that even the unconditional love of his family couldn't save his life," she said.

The "Dance for Daniel" will be 7-10 p.m. March 30 at the San Clemente Community Center, and the group hopes to draw high school students from around south Orange County. Admission is $10.

The San Clemente City Council agreed to put an item on the agenda Tuesday for the next March meeting to waive fees for the organization to use the community center.

SAN CLEMENTE

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