Most of us lament the coarsening of our culture, but two years ago, McKay Hatch, an LDS seventh grader in California actually did something about it. He formed the No Cussing Club, which now has gone on to have over 30,000 members in all 50 states and in 30 countries, including Argentina and the United Kingdom.

His idea caught the attention of Michael D. Antonovich, a member of the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County, who sponsored a proclamation declaring March 2-6 as “no cussing week” to support the idea.

That follows on the heels of his hometown being declared a no-cussing zone last year in March, and McKay's dream is to try to get California to have a cuss-free week.

His idea has put him in the media spotlight several times as he has appeared on “The Tonight Show,” Fox News, “Good Morning America” and “Dr. Phil.” Some of these appearances are available on his website at www.nocussing.com where he invites others to take the pledge and join the club.

Some reporters have been surprised that anybody can actually get along without cussing. One reporter asked McKay, “What do you say when you get mad. ?” He answered, “Ouch or darn or whatever.” She responded incredulously, “That works for you?”

Some have called him a “young Quixote” sparring with “linguistic windmills”.

He tells his story on his website:

“A lot of kids at my school, and some of my friends, would cuss and use dirty language all the time.  They did it so much, they didn't even realize they were doing it.  It bothered me so much that one day I challenged them to stop!  They were shocked.  They didn't know that it was bothering me.  They didn't even realize how much they were doing it until I said something.  I was actually surprised at how they reacted; they accepted my No Cussing Challenge.  But some of the kids said they didn't know how to stop.  That's when I started the No Cussing Club.

“We could help each other by reminding and supporting each other not to cuss.  Word spread at my school and a month later the No Cussing Club had 50 members…

“Our members take the No Cussing Challenge, which is a commitment to themselves to use better language.  This commitment not only improves their lives but also the world around them.  Through our motto, "Leave People Better Than You Found Them" our members are also looking for opportunities everyday to help people and lift them up through their words and actions.

“We have received thousands of e-mails.  Some say this is a waste of time because "words have no meaning."   Some say our club goes against Freedom of Speech.  But many, many of our e-mails are from people who see that this is a personal commitment to improve the level of language that we speak to each other throughout the world.  Many of our e-mails are from people who say that they really do feel a difference in their lives because of a commitment to use polite, respectful, and kind language.”

McKay has learned that if you take a stand, everybody won't necessarily love you for it. His father said that he has received thousands of angry emails and one night $2,000 of pizza was delivered to their home from someone trying to stick the family with the bills.

But he marches on, has set a great example for others, and who knows, the next goal might be a cuss-free week in America.