SuEllen Fried, Jewish community member, author, founder of BullySafeUSA and longtime advocate for children and incarcerated people, will receive the American Public Square at Jewell’s Founder’s Civility Award.
The ceremony will be on Dec. 4 at the organization’s annual Evening at the Square event.
The Founder’s Civility Award by American Public Square at Jewell (APS) is intended to honor the accomplishments of a leader who has demonstrated a commitment to bringing together Kansas City’s diverse community to engage in civil, fact-based dialogue.
Allan Katz (ret.), APS CEO, founder and board chair, will award Fried the Fourth Annual Founder’s Civility Award at APS’ annual event, Evening at the Square. This year, the event will be on Dec. 4 and feature political commentators David Axelrod (D) and Michael Steele (R).
“SuEllen Fried embodies the spirit of American Public Square through the way she engages with the community,” Katz said. “Her natural ability to reach out to and embrace others irrespective of age or differences in life experiences is inspirational.”
Fried has worked with more than 75,000 students, educators, administrators, parents and professionals in 37 states to prevent bullying. In addition to founding BullySafe USA, she has authored four books on the topic of bullying, including her latest publication, “Siblings: Bullying, Betrayal and Bonding Across the Lifespan,” released in 2022.
Fried has also been a volunteer with the Kansas Department of Corrections for more than 40 years and co-founded a self-help program for incarcerated people, “Reaching Out From Within,” which operates in Kansas, Missouri and North Carolina.
Originally trained as a dancer, Fried is also a charter member of the American Dance Therapy Association and had a career as a dance therapist in local psychiatric hospitals for 17 years. She attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and is a graduate of Park University in Parkville, Missouri.
Today, Fried is still dancing, singing and advocating at the age of 91.
