Executive Vice President of Florida Crystals Corporation Pepe Fanjul, Jr. has long taken a stand against youth violence. For the 10th straight year, he and his West Palm Beach-based company are sponsoring Do the Write Thing of Palm Beach County. The program is part of the National Campaign to Stop Violence – a non-profit dedicated to helping middle school students make a lasting commitment to end violence in their homes and communities.
“Violence is so prevalent in our society, and with teens it’s so unnecessary,” said Fanjul. “[Do the Write Thing] creates awareness of the problems that teens face today and offers a solution for it. It is making a difference in our community.”
Through the program’s primary initiative, the “Do the Write Thing Challenge,” middle school students are encouraged to take responsibility to prevent violence around them. This year, more than 28,000 students from more than 30 schools in Palm Beach County submitted essays and poems about their experiences with teen violence and bullying as well as their proposed solutions to ending them. More than 300 students were honored for their writing at the Palm Beach Convention Center on May 10. The top two entrants, Kirsten Brown and Quinton Williams, were selected as the County’s 2016 Ambassadors.
The Fanjul family and Florida Crystals have underwritten the costs of the program’s annual Recognition Luncheon in Washington, D.C., where Brown and Williams will have the opportunity to discuss solutions for ending teen violence with other Ambassadors from across the country as well as members of U.S. Congress, the Attorney General and the Secretary of Education. Florida Crystals is also covering travel expenses for Brown, Williams and their parents and teachers to participate in other Do the Write Thing events throughout the week in Washington as part of the campaign’s National Recognition Week.
“We’re thankful to everyone and especially to Florida Crystals for their support,” said Bill Bone, Palm Beach County Chairman of Do the Write Thing. “Without them, there would be no challenge.”
Visit http://www.dothewritethingpalmbeach.com to learn more about the National Campaign to Stop Youth Violence and the “Do the Write Thing Challenge.”
