The Canadian Red Cross and the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club are teaming up for a fight against bullying. Through an agreement signed recently, the Roughriders formally join the Red Cross in working to create safe and respectful school environments in Saskatchewan.

"We are embarking on a new relationship that will allow us better access to their players and their image," said Norm Jakubowski, Provincial RespectED Lead for the Red Cross in Saskatchewan. "Adding their voice to ours will help us better reach children with our bullying prevention education."

Under the new agreement, the Red Cross can access more Saskatchewan Roughrider players to deliver school presentations, doubling its capacity and potentially reaching in excess of 8,000 students.

"The Saskatchewan Roughriders share the belief that bullying is a community problem," said Saskatchewan Roughriders President and CEO, Jim Hopson. "We are proud to help the Red Cross address the issue by delivering violence and abuse prevention programs to schools and community groups across the province."

Since 2009, the Red Cross has engaged Saskatchewan Roughrider players Luc Mullinder, Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf and Keith Shologan to deliver the workshops with the support of Affinity Credit Union.

"Education is the key to preventing bullying behaviour in our schools and communities," said Jakubowski. "And we find that when Saskatchewan Roughrider players speak, kids listen."

For 25 years, in communities across Canada, the Canadian Red Cross has been helping to break the cycle of hurt through its violence and abuse prevention education.