Last week's article on the "It Gets Better" fundraiser at Rocca incorrectly stated that Mayor Tom Menino was planning to attend but had to cancel. The Mayor's schedule had been booked for the evening of the even before he was asked to come. Menino did, though, give his name and support to the event, for which he was named an honorary chair.

Benefit event raises funds for The Trevor Project, awareness about anti-gay bullying.

Gary Sullivan, co-owner of South End restaurant Rocca at 500 Harrison Ave., was talking with one of his customers last week about her openly gay son's high school graduation dinner. At the dinner, her son and six of his male classmates got to talking about high school bullies. That's when the boy's mother found out that all seven of the boys had been bullied by the same classmate.

"For her, it was like, 'How can this exist?'" said Sullivan, who is also openly gay.

Unfortunately, bullying seems like it's becoming an unavoidable part of the social fabric of American middle and high schools. And it often has devastating consequences: in the past month, at least five young people have committed suicide as a result of bullying. In September, Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi took his own life after his roommate and another classmate taped Clementi's sexual encounter with another man and then broadcast the video on the Internet. Asher Brown, a 13-year-old from Texas, shot and killed himself after being bullied at school. And Seth Walsh, a gay 13-year-old from California, shot and killed himself because of teasing and bullying that he endured at school.

But if Sullivan and Tiffani Faison, Rocca's chef, who is gay, have their way, bullying won't be a fact of life much longer. On Sunday night at 6 p.m., Rocca hosted a fundraiser for The Trevor Project, a national organization that promotes the acceptance of LGBT youth and runs a suicide and crisis hotline. During the night, about 600 people crowded into the upstairs and downstairs spaces of Rocca, snacking on hors d'oeuvres and sipping cocktails. Attendees were asked to donate $25 at the door, and anyone who couldn't attend was asked to text "Trevor" to 85944 to donate $5. Guests were also invited to slip into the recording room, where Good Life Productions filmed videos for the "It Gets Better" project, a YouTube phenomenon where both celebrities and ordinary people film short videos letting LGBT teens know that despite bullying or alienation, their lives will eventually get better. Throughout the night, 16 guests recorded videos.

The number of people at the event and the political appearances -- Deval Patrick's daughter Katherine spoke, and Mayor Menino was supposed to attend, although he cancelled -- belied the short amount of time that Sullivan, Faison, and co-owner Michela Larson had to put the event together. About two weeks ago, Faison returned to Boston from filming a segment of Top Chef All-Stars, and she and her co-workers decided that, given the recent publicity surrounding teenage suicides caused by bullying, this event had to happen as soon as possible.

"We literally met every day to get this moving. It was basically like an election campaign," said Larson.

Everything at the event -- food, alcohol, staff members' time -- was donated. The t-shirts on sale that read, "Rocca believes it gets better" were donated by law firm Brown Rudnick. And according to Faison, Larson, and Sullivan, this was not a one-night event. Their staff members will be wearing the t-shirts all week, and they're hoping the fundraiser will create continued involvement and awareness in the community.

"The good thing that will come out of this is that our politicians will write legislation to end this problem," said Faison, who supports a zero tolerance policy akin to sexual harassment laws.

Faison and Sullivan, who graduated from high school in 1995 and 1979 respectively, said that they both remember feeling either ostracized or alone in high school.

"I saw people who went to prom, dated, and had crushes, and I had no one to talk to about my crushes," said Sullivan.

Although bullying has always existed, some of the experts at the event said it has gotten worse over the past decade because of the advent of the Internet, which makes it easier for rumors to spread quickly.

"I think bullying has always been happening, towards overweight kids, or kids of different ethnicities," said Katherine Patrick, 21, who came out as a lesbian in an interview with Bay Windows three years ago. "But it's happening at a different level now because of cyber bullying."

But it's not all bad news for the Internet generation. The Internet can also help lonely teens connect with each other or give them hope through projects such as "It Gets Better."

Julia Cruz, of Good Life Productions, helped film the inspiration videos in the backroom. She had hope the message would help other gay young adults.

"Video is so powerful. It can truly make a difference," she said.

One guest who filmed a video was Rodin Shaw Cole, a gay hair stylist in Boston who felt isolated as a teenager.

"There were enormous periods of time in middle and high school where I felt different and alone, and unlike everyone else at school. But you eventually leave school and find a community that accepts you for who you are," said Cole.

But for teens who feel as though they'll be in school forever, surrounded by people who don't understand them, The Trevor Project steps up. Katherine Patrick, who has volunteered with MassEquality and remains a voice for LGBT rights, urged teens to seek help when they are feeling lost or bullied.

"Please come talk to somebody at The Trevor Project if you're feeling lost at all," said Patrick to the camera. "You're not sick. You're not wrong."