On November 17, 2017, Wonder, a major motion picture based on the New York Times bestseller by R.J. Palacio of the same name, will be released in theaters nationwide. Wonder tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters a mainstream elementary school for the first time. The overall theme of the book and movie is acceptance of others despite differences and the importance of choosing kindness.
Using the book and the movie as an inspiration and in recognition of National Anti-Bullying Awareness Week, November 13-17, 2017, Cooper University Health Care’s Regional Cleft-Craniofacial Program is planning a series of events and activities at local schools and several of Cooper’s outpatient offices to highlight important anti-bullying themes.
On Friday, November 3, program leaders presented a “Choose Kindness” anti-bullying assembly for 7th and 8th grade students at KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy. Each of the students received their own copy of the book, Wonder, a bookmark, and signed an anti-bullying pledge. The books were provided by a grant from The Cooper Foundation. Additional copies of the books will also be donated to other local schools.
Cooper’s Regional Cleft-Craniofacial Program is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary evaluation and treatment program designed to meet the multifaceted needs of the infant, child, and adolescent with a cleft lip, cleft palate, or craniofacial deformity.
The program was established in 1979 and is staffed by an interdisciplinary team of experienced medical, surgical, dental, and psychosocial speech and hearing specialists. The specialists work together in a coordinated, family-centered team setting to provide appropriate inpatient and outpatient ca