The parents of a teenager stabbed to death on New Year’s Day are selling wristbands in her honour in an effort to prevent similar attacks in the future.

Stefanie Rengel, 14, was killed near her home in Toronto’s east end, the victim of an alleged plot schemed by a teenage girl and her boyfriend. Both have been charged with first-degree murder.

Rengel’s parents are now selling purple wristbands, a tribute to her favourite colour, to promote awareness about the dangers of teenage violence and to raise money for Kids Help Phone, a 24-hour phone and online counselling service for youth.

“It’s really just in honouring and ensuring that everyone remembers what happened to Stefanie in hopes of really just avoiding the situation and having another family go through a similar tragedy,” said the service’s regional director for Ontario, Jenny Yuen.

The bands are on sale for $5 through a Facebook site in Stefanie’s name and for a slightly higher price on eBay. The response has been tremendous, Yuen said.

In just a few weeks, Rengel’s family — who are travelling to local schools to sell the wristbands — has already sold more than 1,000 bracelets and placed an order for more.

“They were really surprised that the momentum has picked up,” Yuen said.

Rengel’s killing has been described by an Ontario Superior Court judge as an act of “senseless jealousy” on the part of the 16-year-old girl co-accused in her death.

In an eight-page ruling issued at the accused girl’s bail hearing, Judge David McCombs described Rengel as an “innocent victim who had done nothing to provoke the attack that led to her death.” The accused girl allegedly ordered her 18-year-old boyfriend, who has also been charged with murder, to kill Rengel.

Yuen said it was the Rengel family that thought up the idea of the wristband campaign with the hope it could prevent a similar event in the future.

“My understanding in my discussions with Maureen Rengel was simply that if the kids who have caused this tragedy in their particular family had a service like Kids Help Phone to reach out for, … then perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided altogether.”
To read the rest of the article click here.