'Bully Be Gone' presentation:
Valerie Olson will bring the message of her nonprofit Bully Be Gone program to Friday's Lake Zurich Rotary Club meeting. The club meets at 12:15 p.m. for lunch at the Holiday Inn Express, 195 S. Rand Road, Lake Zurich. Olson started the program as a junior at Lake Zurich High School when she was having problems with bullies and found out she was not alone - 77 percent of students report being bullied or cyberbullied. The Internet has made the problem of bullying a potentially 24-hour issue. "I want to spread the word about what bullying is and how to reduce it," she said. "Students need to know that you shouldn't blame yourself and adults need to know that you can't reduce violence and bullying just by telling kids to stop it." Olson graduated from Lake Zurich High and now attends Harper College. She started the program with her parents, who help her promote and organize it.