Father of Jadin Bell: “Look at people for who they are…”

The father of 15-year-old Jadin Bell is speaking out about his son’s death.

Joe Bell told a group of about 300 people at La Grande High School Tuesday night that he doesn’t want his son to have died in vain. The Oregonian reports,”His comments broke the family’s silence in the aftermath of the La Grande High School cheerleader’s death. He spoke at an evening assembly at Eastern Oregon University to launch a nonprofit foundation against bullying called Faces for Change.”

“I want it, (his son’s death), to stand for something. I think we need to look at people for who they are and not who we think they should be.”

The tearful father told the crowd that he loved his son and accepted him for who he was.

According to the paper, family friend Bud Hill, who is helping to create the foundation, says Bell and Jadin went to a school councilor to report the bullying a week before the teen hung himself on a elementary school playground.

According to KOMO-TV, Bell “came to the playground of Central Elementary School in La Grande. He climbed on a play structure and hanged himself. Someone passing by tried to rescue him. He was brought to Portland and Doernbecher Children’s Hospital where he was put on life support.”

“Hill says Jadin asked his parents to home school him. He feared turning in the bullies would make things worse. The school district says it was in the process of investigating when Jadin tried to end his life,” the station reported.

Bell died on February 3rd at a Le Grande children’s hospital.  He had been taken off life support a week earlier.

Click HERE to email the foundation.

Click HERE to learn more about how you can help be part of the solution to ending bullying in our schools.

(If you or someone you know needs help, or is considering suicide, you owe it to yourself to visit The Trevor Project’s website or call them at 1-866-488-7386. In the U.S. you can also call 1-800-273-8255 and talk to the folks at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.  Visit stopbullying.gov for more resources and help put an end to this national nightmare. )