As we began the new year, Detroit PAL was coming down from an emotional, historical high as our organization had just celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. Following our celebration, we immediately became focused on shaping how our organization would support our City for the next 50 and beyond.
How times quickly change. Like many other non-profit organizations, we needed to quickly pivot and our most significant, immediate priority become the health and wellness of our youth, families, and mentors of Detroit PAL.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we quickly became aligned with the recommendations of national health management agencies and are taking the necessary precautions to limit exposure of everyone involved, including our youth, staff, police officers, etc. through the following measures:
- Cancelling all public events and programs until further notice.
- Shutting down our events and field space.
- Postponing our PAL awards and other fundraising events.
We are all experiencing unprecedented challenges as we continue to serve a greater purpose. Our youth and their families need us more than ever and Detroit PAL remains steadfast to our mission of helping youth find their Greatness. With that said, we must do more for our community, which includes:
- Repurposing the Corner Ballpark Presented by Adient to serve as an emergency community resource.
- Detroit PAL has been in discussions with City, County, and State government leaders in addition to our corporate partners like Rocket Mortgage to understand opportunities to provide additional support and a resource.
- Providing awareness and access to the education, health, and economic resources that are available to the community. Detroit PAL is a communication hub and a trusted source that can reach tens of thousands in the Detroit area.
- Offering virtual PAL programming, including reading sessions with Detroit Police officers, who are volunteering their time to read books, aligned with the G.R.E.A.T. model (Goal setting, Resilience, Embracing a healthy lifestyle, Accountability and Teamwork). These videos are being shared for students at home on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1pm on our Facebook page.
All of this while trying to keep focusing on the future, looking beyond the challenges that many are experiencing presently. While we continue to serve the community in our greatest time of need, Detroit PAL needs our supporters to work together and ensure our youth have the support they need to find their greatness.
Our youth and their families need us more than ever. We hope you will join us in support of Detroit PAL’s youth by volunteering your time to our organization or by making a monetary donation on our website, www.DetroitPAL.org, as we work together to ensure our youth have the support they need to get through this challenging time. On behalf of PAL, we thank our entire community and for your consideration and support.