Philly rapper tells kids 'What I Wish I Knew' by giving back through foundation
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- "Coming from a single parent household, I know how important finances is when it comes to this time of the year," said Emmanuel Clark. "We just want to take a burden off of some of the parents by at least providing, you know, the necessities and essentials that their children may need in order to excel with school."
Clark, a rapper who is better known as 'Manny 215,' uses the lessons learned from his past life experiences to give back to today's youth.
"When I was about like, 19, 20, getting in trouble around the time, if you would have asked me what I was doing, I would have told you that I was selling drugs in order to invest into my music career in order to make it out the hood," he said.
Clark created the "What I Wish I Knew Foundation" to pay forward exactly what its title suggests.
And today, Clark invited community organizations to join forces for the Power of Community Back to School Festival. Music, water ice, pretzels, jump rope and cheerleading kept the attendees entertained. And hundreds of backpacks were donated and distributed to students and their parents.
"My sons, they go through book bags, like three of them a year and I don't know how," said Kynisha Johnson. "But it's important and it's helpful because it cuts down the cost on my school supply list."
In the future, Clark hopes to involve more community organizations and donors to bring more outreach to neighborhoods in Philadelphia.
And in addition to growing his foundation, he wants to work on his own personal growth.
"For me, it's about being an example, and all impacting the world, you know," he said.
To learn more about the What I Wish I Knew Foundation, visit their Instagram page.
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