Downtown foundation helps fight cyberbullying

The Marcus L. Ruscitto Charitable Foundation, along with The Pittsburgh Foundation, will give $50,000 to support a regional initiative to combat bullying and cyberbullying.

According to the National Crime Prevention Council, 43 percent of teens have been the victims of cyberbullying in the last year. Leading the anti-bullying campaign, the Ruscitto Foundation will host a seminar on the topic with 300 local school districts. Afterward, the foundation will ask school districts for proposals to address the problem.

The Ruscitto Foundation was set up in 2006 as a legacy for Marc Ruscitto, the founder and CEO of Stargate Industries, a regional Internet company. The Ruscitto family also has a fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation, based Downtown, which they plan to use to prevent bullying.