Pal Kids Join Local Library in Promoting Summer Reading
The Police Activities League of the Coachella Valley (formerly Western Coachella Valley PAL) is beginning a new program in coordination with the Rancho Mirage Library which should lead to many more kids cracking open books this summer.
The collaboration is based on a strong belief that kids should discover and be thankful for the significance of reading. PAL youth will begin a volunteer program every Wednesday for the entire summer, helping with various jobs throughout the children’s center as well as the library. They will also be encouraged to read, check out books, and learn about American Literature.
On Thursday, June 18 at 10 a.m., the PAL community service youth program will be meeting at the Rancho Mirage Library for the program's initial kickoff. Present will be the Director of the Rancho Mirage Library and the Senior Librarian of Children’s Services, Rancho Mirage Board Members, Riverside County Sheriff's Captain Dan Wilham (the Chief of Police for Palm Desert/Rancho Mirage/Indian Wells), PAL Director Alanna Reichle, along with many PAL Board Members, chaperones and volunteers. Rancho Mirage City Council and local officials have also been invited.
The PAL program formed alliances with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and the police departments of Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, and Cathedral City along with the Palm Springs Unified School District in early spring 2007 in an effort to reduce youth crime and collaborate as one organization. This police youth organization has banded together to help fight the war on youth gangs. Youth gang involvement is a serious issue, which is extremely important to the PAL CV because gang activity is not restricted to those living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in our large cities, but extends to residents of affluent suburban communities, and even small towns and rural areas.
The Police Activities League of the Coachella Valley is designed to give at-risk youth of all socioeconomic backgrounds a place to go, keeping them off the streets. PAL strives to connect law enforcement and youth, building a bond between cops and kids by creating a positive passage into adulthood without crime. PAL utilizes athletics as well as recreational, educational and community service ideas to instill these positive principles and character-building tools in an effort to deter juvenile crime and violence.
The Police Activities League focuses on youth who live in high risk areas, who come from low income families or who are classified as "at risk." More than 85 percent of the youth that PAL served last year come from low-income families. Many of our youth are either diagnosed with ADHD, are in and out of the foster care system on a regular basis, or have one or more parents incarcerated and/or affected by drugs and alcohol. PAL's philosophy is that all youth are at risk -- just because a child's world is “together” today doesn't mean that something won't happen tomorrow.
If you would like additional information, contact PAL Director Alanna Reichle at 318-1226