The Resapol Foundation has once again reaffirmed its commitment to supporting local charities by donating £1,000 to the Kiyan Prince Foundation. The Kiyan Prince Foundation was established in 2008 in memory of Kiyan Prince, the fifteen-year-old son of Dr Mark Prince. Kiyan was stabbed in the heart while trying to break up an altercation outside his school gates. Dr Mark Prince took this devastating tragedy and used his knowledge and skills to support families and help prevent similar cases. In this process, he has had to defeat two of life’s toughest challenges. Anger and revenge, finding the strength to forgive and the commitment to substitute anger with positive life skills. The Kiyan Prince Foundation has now been running for over 16 years.
Dr Prince overcame a series of personal challenges growing up (including homelessness and criminal activity) to become a boxer before this tragedy struck. His background has given him a desire to help support young people embroiled in a downward spiral of urban violence. The Resapol Foundation recognises that early intervention is so importance to help turn around the lives of young people. With the increased surge in knife crime in the UK, particularly in London, this cannot be underestimated. The Resapol Foundation, in collaboration with the London Depot Ambassador Paulo Manhica, identified the Kiyan Prince Foundation as a very worthy recipient of this year’s donation.
The £1,000 donation from the Resapol Foundation will be invaluable in helping to bring the Power of Choice talk to more children across the Slough area. This is a motivational talk given by Dr Prince to large groups of school children which covers his and Kiyan’s lives; this creates an impact on even the most disengaged of young people. The power of this talk is overwhelming, making a difference to a large number of children who have now taken a new route in their lives.
Paulo Manhica explained why this particular charity was put forward for a donation, “Through my boxing work/media I contacted Mark Prince and started to get to know him on a professional level and now we talk regularly. I started to get a better understanding of his charity, as I wanted to do something to give back to the community myself; I now donate to this charity personally. His story is so special, because we all knew about it growing up. His son was stabbed and killed at a young age, whilst breaking up a fight in school at the age of 15. It reached national news as his son was at QPR at the time and was a potential future star because of his development. Mark Prince is a former WBO/IBF Light Heavyweight champion, who turned away from crime at young age and boxing helped him so he wants to do the same for other kids. Through the death of his son, he wants to change the statistics in London by helping kids when they are heading down the wrong path. Showing there is more to life and talking to the next generation of kids to inspire them, as they are the future. Living and growing up in London it is something that is special to me as I know so many people doing work like this. He set up the Kiyan Prince foundation to help young kids. The above reasons are why I chose the charity because the work he is doing is so important.”
Jon Guymer, Head of Operations of the Kiyan Prince Foundation commented:
“On behalf of the Kiyan Prince Foundation, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Resapol for their generous donation towards our direct youth work. Your contribution will make a significant impact on the youth work we are able to provide. Specifically, your donation will allow us to deliver two ‘Power of Choice’ motivational talks to 400-600 children across two schools. These talks are crucial for young people and serve as a gateway to our 12-week Future Champions program, providing additional support where needed. Thank you for your kindness and for making a difference in the lives of others.”
The Kiyan Prince Foundation was presented with a cheque for £1000 on the 10th May. Resapol Foundation representative Sean Ofsarnie and London’s Amabassador Paulo Manhica were proud to make this presentation. For more information about the Resapol Foundation and its charitable initiatives, visit the Resapol Foundation webpage.