The Police Athletic League is an important organization in Philadelphia. Their slogan is “cops helping kids since 1947.” It is a great way for the police officers to get to know members of the community on a personal level, while also showing the kids in the community that cops are there to help. One activity PAL organizes is a city-wide chess tournament. It was inspiring to see kids so focused and determined playing a game that doesn’t have the coolest reputation. The kids we interviewed were hilarious, and both the kids and adults had a blast. So did we!
From my write-up:
The slogan of the Police Athletic League of Philadelphia is “cops helping kids” – and they’ve been doing so since 1947. One event PAL organizes to positively influence Philly’s youth is a city-wide chess tournament. Kids from different PAL centers met at the Grays Ferry location for round one of the chess tournament. We spoke to Officer Frank Holmes and Program Coordinator, Taaj Andrews, to learn more about what kids can take away from this activity and why this program is so important.
For more information on PAL, visit phillypal.org.