I'd like to take a moment of your time to introduce myself and thank you in advance for reading my letter. I am Marcus Byrd-Ray Sr., a 29-year-old formerly incarcerated African American from Richmond, CA. I'm currently attending Laney College majoring in Psychology with plans to transfer to Cal State East Bay upon completion.My past lifestyle consisted of crime and gun violence, countless murders and prison sentences of childhood friends. Sadly, this is not an uncommon experience for many youth in Richmond (and surrounding communities). That lifestyle created major problems for me, my family, and the community. While on probation I was introduced to a movement called Ceasefire. There I met with members of my community, law enforcement, resource providers and clergy. They shared a message of hope and opportunity and let me know that enough was enough. At the end of our meeting I was given opportunity to break the chains and create a change.I made the decision to change my life. My engagement with Ceasefire lead me to join Omega Boys Club Alive and Free Program. I was mentored and motivated to create a life plan which included educational goals and becoming a contributing member of society. These choices lead me to where I am today. I am starting a non-profit organization (Change4FiveHundred), which will mentor & motivate young men and women.Last year Change 4 FiveHundred hosted our 1stbackpack giveaway with Richmond Ceasefire it was a success we managed to hand out over 300 backpacks to the youth. Many of the families we hosted were many of the North Richmond resident’s community leaders, pastors, and families. We also had news coverage by KRON 4 which was aired on TV.Change4FiveHundred has partnered with Ya-Neema to present this innovative Mentorship Program to the North Richmond Community by hosting Change4FiveHundred Second Annual Bar-B-Que & Backpack giveaway on September 9th, 2018 at Shields Reid Community Center located in the heart of North Richmond, California. We are pleased to offer you an opportunity to participate in this event by making donations to our efforts. Our goal is to provide 500 backpacks with school supplies to children in the North Richmond Community. This community is often overlooked as it stands unincorporated in the City of Richmond.That's not all! There will be Community Based Organizations on site providing valuable information and resources for individuals and families. We look forward to contacting you to secure donations for this worthy cause.
