Key West Police Chief Donie Lee this week presented a check for $4,000 to Keys to Be the Change so that 15 students could attend the PeaceJam Leadership Conference in Tallahassee.

The Key West Police Department partners with the program, mentoring at-risk students at Key West High School to promote positive behaviors, resistance to drug abuse and crime, and to develop lasting positive relationships.

Keys to Be the Change’s mission is to provide programs, education, awareness and opportunities that empower young people and better their changes at success in school and in life. This donation, made up of state forfeiture funds, provides the opportunity for these kids to work side by side with a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate for a weekend.

“Success of the Keys to Be the Change program is measured in students’ improving grades, better attendance and more skillful management of their scholastic, as well as personal, lives,” says Chief Lee. “We at the KWPD involved in this program have gained valuable insight from the experience of working with our community’s students. The positive results of our efforts have strengthened our dedication to this project of forging positive relationships between law enforcement and young people.”