The ????? ???? ??????college football season got a wonderful, heart-warming story to start the season when a student who was bullied for his homemade t-shirt got to see his favorite team make the shirt part of their official merch.
Laura Snyder, an elementary school teacher in Florida, shared on Facebook the story of one of her students who wore a homemade shirt to support the University of Tennessee's football team for the school's college colors day.
The student was excited to wear a bright orange shirt (the official color of the Tennessee Volunteers) and came to school with a hand-drawn "U of T" logo done by the student pinned to the front. But, according to Snyder, the student was bullied by others who mocked the DIY design.
Noting it's hard to get a Volunteers shirt in Florida -- home territory of one of Tennessee's biggest rivals, the University of Florida Gators -- Snyder reached out for help via her Facebook page and the University of Tennessee came through, sending the student a giant care package of merchandise.
But even more awesome is the new shirt the school made based on the student's original design. Not only are they now selling the shirt but proceeds are going to an anti-bullying group.
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Said Snyder when she told the student about the new shirt, "When I told him that his design was being made into a real shirt and people wanted to wear it, his jaw dropped. He had a big smile on his face, walked taller, and I could tell his confidence grew today!"
SEE ALSO: 5 ways parents can teach kids to combat bullyingSnyder also shared a letter from the student's mother, who said, "I am overwhelmed by the love I feel from this extended community... Every comment, item sent, and action taken on behalf of my son will never be forgotten and hopefully will serve as inspiration for him throughout his life."
It's a much-needed feel-good story for the Volunteers this season; the team has stumbled out of the gate to an 0-2 start for the first time in 31 years after their Saturday night loss to BYU. But given how amazing this story is, the football team's result doesn't even matter.
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