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ONTARIO, OR – May 15, 2015 – Telmate Network Integrator, Sam Valdez was more than happy to take an afternoon to bring his anti-bullying message to the students of the Boys & Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley. Sam is part of a growing number of Telmate employees that eagerly volunteer their time each month to teach or train a dedicated group of B&G participants as part of the “Telmate Cares” community outreach program.

But it wasn’t talking about the details of network troubleshooting out in the field, and in the cloud that Sam was excited about. Rather, it was the opportunity to teach the kids a class in anti-bullying, a subject that’s very real for him.

“I have personal experience with being bullied in school when I was younger,” said Valdez, “and I thought it would be an easy way to connect with these kids.” During the class, he introduced himself with a live, “Draw My Life” session, using stick figure storytelling. After that he showed a Cartoon Network video called “Stop Bullying: Speak Up Special,” followed by a Q&A session.

Valdez was interested in volunteering at the Boys & Girls club because he worked there before becoming a part of the Telmate team and wanted to share something valuable to help the kids grow — in the same way he was helped. “It’s a safe environment to be themselves and learn right from wrong,” Valdez said.

He was impressed by how they reacted to the class. They seemed to know how to navigate around bullying. And that’s a positive thing. Because when Valdez was their age, he had nowhere to turn to.

According to Executive Director of the B&G Club of Western Treasure Valley, Matt Sorensen, “Each individual can make a far-reaching difference in another person’s life.” By providing positive volunteers like Valdez, Telmate consistently works on boosting the morale of the Boys & Girls Club and its members, and ultimately, taking the extra step to help reduce recidivism at its core.