One man volleyball team shares special message

Bob Holmes is a one man volleyball team who single-handedly takes on teams while promoting his anti-bullying and anti-suicide message.

“I go around the country doing this because I heard over a million suicides were attempted last year, which is so sad,” Holmes said Thursday night at the Redmond High gym, the first of two Central Oregon stops this week.

“Standing alone on the court is a way of illustrating you can stand alone and beat the odds, no matter what everybody else is doing.,” he said, “You can make a difference, and that’s the whole theme here.”

On Holmes’ website, beatbob.com, the statistics for suicide at a young age are alarming. To name a couple, more teenagers died last year than soldiers killed during the entire Iraqi war, and every 30 seconds, a teenager is attempting suicide due to bullying.

“You don’t have to commit suicide, and bully, and drugs and alcohol<" Holmes said. "But you can have a dream for your life and live for others, and it comes back to you then, to where you're happy."

Holmes has been playing on the court for 30 years. He’s visited over 5,500 gyms and reached over 30,000 youths from suicide. Ripley’s Believe it or not just finished a second story on Bob. He’s played more games of volleyball than any athlete in the history of the world in any sport.

His volleyball exhibitions are illustrating a positive environment for a serious issue.

“One person can make a difference, so one word of encouragement can change somebody’s whole entire life,” Holmes said.

Holmes’ Central Oregon visit is hosted by Beulah’s Place, a Redmond-based nonprofit that offers shelter to homeless at-risk teens. He will be taking on a variety of teams again Friday night at Bend High School at 7 p.m. Admission is one non-perishable food item per person.