Anti-Bullying Tour to Make Stop in Flint

The Relentless Tour - a first of its kind anti-bullying initiative - will visit Flint on Thursday.

The campaign features a former Michigan State Basketball player, Anthony Ianni, who is now a motivational speaker but was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 4 and was a victim of bullying as a child. Ianni is the first know individual with autism to play college basketball and under Coach Tom Izzo, played with the 2010 and 2012 Big Ten Champion and Tournament Championship teams, along with the 2010 Final Four team.

Michigan Lt. Governor Brian Calley joined Ianni at the state Capitol in October to kick off the Relentless Tour and announce the goal of reaching 659 schools statewide in one school year with their anti-bullying message. Along with the typical cases of bullying, students with autism are also more frequently targeted with 65-90% of individuals with autism having been targeted at some point in their lives. Ianni said "bullying is something we must put an end to, not only in Michigan, but across the country. Everyone is affected by bullying in some way and students with autism are at incredibly high risk to be victimized."

In addition to Lt. Gov. Calley and MSU basketball coach Tom Izzo, the Relentless Tour has gotten the support of Detroit Red Wing Niklas Kronwall, former Detroit Lion Nate Burleson and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, all of whom are working to spread the anti-bullying message.

The Relentless Tour will stop at Armstrong Middle School located at 6161 Hopkins Road on Thursday with presentations at 12:30 and 1:30 p.m.