About Boston PAL

History of the Boston Police Athletic League

The Boston Police Athletic League is an official member of the National Association of Police Athletic Leagues, a national network founded more than 70 years ago. Incorporated in 1985, Boston PAL was founded by Gerald Ridge, and was organized by members of the Boston Police Department and other concerned citizens as a community crime prevention resource and was the first police athletic league in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Police Athletic League currently is one of the largest independent youth serving agencies in the City of Boston.

The Police Athletic League is a strong, local organization with the resources and credibility to bring focus and attention to the youth development field and to connect young people in low-income neighborhoods with responsible adults in school and during their out-of-school time. The overall goal of PAL's programming is to involve youth in meaningful activities that will counter some of the negative forces in their lives and give them greater opportunities for future success. PAL strengthens the relationship between police officers and youth in the neighborhoods of Boston by providing opportunities for them to participate together in recreational, cultural, social, and educational activities. back to top

Mission Statement

Boston Police Athletic League is dedicated to bringing the business community together with schools and police to help Boston's youth succeed. We do so by leveraging the resources of the community and creating new options and opportunities for Boston's youth. We offer three types of programs:

• Educational
• Athletic
• Civic Engagement
  

Key Achievements

PAL's programming includes recreational, social, cultural, and educational activities for all youth in the Boston community. Boston PAL serves children and youth, ages six through 19, in a wide range of programs, including a PAL Martial Arts Program, the Running Start literacy initiative, as well as basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse, hockey, and flag football leagues including Pee Wee Football Clinics, Special Olympics Days, multicultural neighborhood activities, and the EntreFamilia Celebration.

In addition, youth have the opportunity to attend a number of special events throughout the year, such as sporting events and competitions at the Fleet Center, Disney on Ice, Big Apple Circus, field trips to Museum of Science and New England Aquarium, and Pawtucket Red Sox games with police officers, through the support of Boston PAL. The Police Athletic League supports programming to meet the recreational, educational, and social needs of young people, the organization recently committed to strengthen its core programming options. Signature programs include the following:
Sprint/Nextel Public Safety Internship: The Monument High School Public Safety Internship provides high school students with after-school paid internships at locations such as the Boston Police Department, Boston Fire Department, and Boston EMS. Monument High School is a Boston Public School with a pathway focus on public safety and criminal justice. The internship program develops future leaders by providing students the opportunity to work side-by-side with Boston’s public safety professionals while seeing real-life application of public safety issues discussed in class.

The Boston Red Sox Foundation Breakfast/Lunch Project, a collaborative program with the Boston Public Schools and the Boston Police to provide mentoring, outreach, and support for elementary and middle school students who are at risk of juvenile delinquency, truancy, and academic failure; and

PAL Piers Park Sailing program, which is designed to provide middle school students from across the city of Boston the challenges of learning to sail, while developing leadership skills. Participants in this program are challenged mentally, physically and emotionally while learning an exciting new sport.

Yawkey/PAL Writers Express, After school mix of educational and recreational programs at the Cleveland and Timilty Schools.