| What is the Matthew Stanley Foundation The Matthew Stanley Foundation was established by Paul and Kay Stanley, parents of Matthew, who was 15 when he died after being bashed outside a teenagers’ party in September 2006.
Matt (who was known affectionately to his friends as Stanley) was a talented sportsman who also excelled academically at school. But what became apparent after his death was his enormous popularity. Without trying, he managed to touch the hearts of so many people, from his peers to young children and adults, students, teachers and parents. He simply stood out from the crowd.
The Stanleys’ tragic loss triggered an outpouring of grief in the local community that demanded action. In response to this, it was decided to form the Matthew Stanley Foundation. The Foundation – made up of Paul and Kay plus a group of concerned citizens – hopes to get the message out that senseless youth violence is unacceptable.
It aims to educate young people about how to avoid potentially dangerous situations and make parents and teenagers aware of possible risks at parties and what they can do to make them safer.
If one life can be saved by the Foundation’s initiatives then young Stanley won’t have died in vain.
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