King Charles’ longtime charity celebrates new name and U.S. expansion at New York gala
NEW YORK — The King’s Trust celebrated its new name, an update of King Charles III’s long-running charity The Prince’s Trust, and the expansion of its work in the United States with a star-studded gala in New York City on Thursday evening.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the trust will continue to help young people around the world build those key skills to help them find jobs,” Charles said in a statement read to the audience, expressing his regret for canceling the event could not attend. was the first to be organized under the charity’s new name: “Together we can build a better future for the next generation.”
Stone & Roll Hall of Famer and gala co-chairman Lionel Richie, who has worked for the charity for more than 30 years, said Charles was doing well and wanted to attend. Charles returned to public duties on Tuesday, following the announcement in February that he had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment.
“I told him, ‘Stand still. Get better,” Richie said. “We have many more of these galas to do in the future.”
The Prince’s Trust was founded in 1976 when then-Prince Charles used his severance pay from the Royal Navy to set up a non-profit organization to help train unemployed young people in the United Kingdom for jobs. Since then, the charity has expanded its education and employment initiatives to 25 countries.
Richie said he and other high-profile supporters in attendance would work to represent the charity in Charles’ absence. They included singers Sam Smith and John Legend, who performed to close out the night, and supermodels Kate Moss, Emily Ratajkowski and Ashley Graham. Actor Dominic West, who played Charles in later seasons of “The Crown,” was also in attendance, along with Michaela Jae Rodriguez, who currently plays the head of a charity on the AppleTV+ philanthropic sitcom “Loot.”
Rodriguez said philanthropy is important to her, both in real life and on screen, with an emphasis on supporting climate groups such as The Rainforest Alliance, as well as charities that support young people, including The King’s Trust.
“I think it’s important that we stand up for the kids who want to strive, who want to have something that they can live for,” Rodriguez told The Associated Press. “We want to make sure they know they can do it.”
Victoria Gore, CEO of The King’s Trust USA, said this type of support has always driven the charity, but the company has been very methodical in its expansion, especially in the US, where it launched its first program in The Bronx last year launched an education program project called the Enterprise Challenge.
“We don’t want to double what someone else is already doing,” Gore said. “It’s about collaboration and meeting a need.”
The King’s Trust USA expanded its work to three cities this year – New York, Chicago and Detroit – and plans to launch two new initiatives later this year, said Michael De Roeck, chief programs officer.
The trust expects to soon launch a US version of its Get Hired program, a job fair for young adults in the program, and Development Awards, where those who participate in the programs can receive a $500 grant to purchase laptops, work clothes and other purchase items to help with their job search, De Roeck said.
The organization’s work has already had an impact in those cities. Nakya Weeks, a 16-year-old high school student from Chicago, said the King’s Trust Enterprise Challenge impressed her even before her team won the national award last year for her team’s project to create a salon in an unused cosmetology lab in her school.
“It was great that people wanted to be part of it,” said Nakya, who said the support for the project made her enjoy school more. She sees a future in education and hopes to attend Harvard University and become a traveling nurse.
Nakya’s mother, Terry Lee, is delighted with the change she has seen in her.
“It’s really important to have someone who trusts her, believes in her, helps her follow her dreams and gets her back on track,” Lee said. “It actually takes a village.”
American youth don’t necessarily feel like recipients of interest from the British royal family, as youth in Britain do, De Roeck said.
“I mean, a lot of people have seen ‘The Crown,’” he said. “But everyone is incredibly positive about the programs once they see that they work.”
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