SAN DIEGO -- Earlier this month when Summer Michaelson's seven-year-old daughter handed out birthday party invitations to her classmates she was met with the sting of rejection. But yesterday Sienna turned a year older and surrounded by a mountain of birthday cards, boxes of toys and and an ear-to-ear grin thanks to an outpouring of support from the community.
Michaelson has helped her daughter turn a negative situation into a positive one. They have created Sienna's Voice, a Facebook page dedicated to building a network of support for families and kids struggling with bullying behavior. And Sienna is planning to host a community party for bullied children.
A recent Facebook post features a collage of photos of Sienna surrounded with colorful envelopes and a seemingly endless tower of Shopkins toys.
"Because Sienna received so much from so many selfless people, she has decided to donate a lot of the toys to our local Children's Hospital, so we can keep paying it forward!" wrote Michaelson.
Our 10News reporter Rachel Bianco has followed Sienna and her mom's journey from the beginning.
"Let's start a way for people to have a support system so I don't get messages from people who say my daughter was bullied and no one helped me," said Michaelson, who added she felt helpless when her daughter came home in tears. "Let's make it a situation where we can lean on each other and we can get our kids together and they can find strength in each other as well."
