This Minnesota 10-Year-Old Is Putting a Stop to Bullying

"I'm hoping that it makes a difference and that it kind of brings down the bullying rage a little bit"

FARGO, ND — About one in three students in the U.S. say they have been bullied at school.

One Minnesota fifth grader is trying to fix that.

He’s changing the minds of those around him.

This is Thomas.

A 10–year–old boy from Sartell, who loves to fish and ride his bike…but his passions go much deeper than that.

At a young age, he is standing up for what he believes in.

“In kindergarten, it all started with somebody calling me fat and it kept getting worse until now where I got sick of it and I just wanted to try to stop it,” said Thomas Held.

Thomas says kids have constantly picked on him for being different, for standing out in the crowd.

“But it went deeper than that. Because of the different anxiety disorders and the ADHD and the ADD and the different ticks that Tom would have it just made things so much worse,” said Leah Held, Thomas’s mother.

What Thomas didn’t understand, was why people couldn’t put the differences behind them.

That’s when he decided to take matters into his own hands.

“I thought he was working on a school project,” Leah said.

“I’m hoping that it makes a difference and that and it kind of brings down the bullying rage a little bit,” Thomas said.

Over 32,000 views later, there has been an outpour of love from strangers, community members and even some who once bullied him.

“I’ve already had two boys change over to my side and now they are standing up for me and one girl sent me a letter of apology,” Thomas said.

“He came to Tim and I a few years ago and had a great idea,” Leah said.

The idea has been kept in his back pocket.

Now, his parents are helping him bring this project to life.

“H.E.R.O. stands for ‘Helping Everyone Respect Others,” Thomas said.

It’s a group that would help out around the school, do good deeds for others and serve as a helping hand.

“To have a home, to have some place of safety that they feel comfortable going to,” Leah said.

He may be young but Thomas has a vision for the future.

“It makes me feel good, it makes me feel awesome,” Thomas said.

And nothing will stop him from accomplishing his goals.

“He’s a pretty special kid,” Leah said.

Leah Held works for the Sheriff’s Department in Sartell and is hoping to get local law enforcement involved in H.E.R.O.