Pepe Fanjul, Jr. “Does the Write Thing” for Palm Beach County’s Youth for 10th Year

Pepe Fanjul, Jr. with Quinton Williams and Lourdes Fanjul
Pepe Fanjul, Jr. with Quinton Williams and Lourdes Fanjul

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 an initiative of the National Campaign to Stop Violence (NCSV), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping students make a lasting commitment to end violence in their homes, schools and neighborhoods.

“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 chief initiative, the “Do the Write Thing Challenge,” middle school students are encouraged to take personal responsibility to prevent violence in their communities. This year, more than 28,000 students from 33 schools in Palm Beach County submitted essays sharing their experiences with teen violence and their proposed solutions to ending it. More than 300 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 Palm Beach County’s 2016 Ambassadors.

Fanjul and Florida Crystals have underwritten the costs for Brown, Williams and their parents and teachers to attend this summer’s National Do The Write Thing Recognition Week in Washington, D.C., where Brown and Williams will discuss solutions for ending teen violence with other Ambassadors from across the country and members of Congress, the Secretary of Education and the Attorney General. Florida Crystals is also sponsoring that week’s Recognition Luncheon.

“We’re thankful to everyone and especially to Florida Crystals for their support,” said Bill Bone, Do the Write Thing Chairman for Palm Beach County. “Without them, there would be no challenge.”

To learn more about the Do the Write Thing, visit http://www.dtwt.org/about-dtwt.