A message from the Zink the Zebra Foundation

"It all started with a spot."

Dear Educator,

Thank you for your commitment to improving the lives of your students. What you do every day both in and out of the classroom makes a difference in the lives of your students and their families.

We are delighted to learn of your interest in implementing this innovative e-learning content and are grateful for your partnership in taking an active role to reduce bullying. As an introduction to this topic, and on behalf of Children’s Wisconsin, I am pleased to introduce you to the “Zink the Zebra” story, and most significantly, a message that resonates with our children.

Kelly Weil - Age 11“Zink the Zebra” was written by my 11-year-old daughter, Kelly Weil (1982-1993) who died of cancer. As a result of her experiences Kelly wrote about a zebra named Zink, who has spots instead of stripes.

Although Kelly had numerous challenges with her health, these spots represent the challenges that she faced while battling cancer as a child. Because she was perceived by her peers as different, Kelly experienced the pain associated with the withdrawal of friendships. She was teased based on misconceptions that others had about her physical differences and was ignored by other students, all while she was being treated for cancer. These are the very same behaviors that today we call bullying. Included in Children’s Wisconsin Bullying prevention content is the story that Kelly wrote.

Kelly lost her battle with cancer, but the Zink the Zebra Foundation was formed with a commitment to ensure that Kelly’s story, and that of a brave little zebra who learned to appreciate her differences, lives on. For many years, children have heard Zink’s important messages and have received skills training and advice about bullying and how to safely intervene when it occurs. With Children’s Wisconsin, we have built on the success of the “Zink the Zebra” story for elementary school-aged children by creating this Bullying prevention e-learning content for kindergarten through twelfth grade students.

On behalf of Zink the Zebra Foundation, and my daughter Kelly, I would like to thank each and every one of you who are making a difference in your students’ lives by implementing this content. Every student deserves the opportunity to succeed, grow and develop in a safe, bully-free environment with understanding, compassion, acceptance and respect.

Sincerely,
Les Weil
Zink the Zebra Foundation