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PAL Summer Program Coming to Jackson Heights for First Time

By Smriti Rao | July 2, 2012 11:09am
The 78th Street Play Street will be home to the Police Athletic League's summer program starting July 9, 2012.
The 78th Street Play Street will be home to the Police Athletic League's summer program starting July 9, 2012.
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Dudley Stewart

JACKSON HEIGHTS—Families in Jackson Heights looking for fun and free ways to keep kids occupied this summer will have another reason to hit the 78th Street Play Street.

For the first time ever, the Police Athletic League (PAL) will be coming to the neighborhood this year to organize sports, games and other fun activities to help keep kids busy, according to the organizers, the Jackson Heights Beautification Group.

Four PAL workers will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays at the play street — a section of the road that is closed to vehicular traffic — to help kids stave off boredom during their summer holidays. 

Children will get to pick from among their favorite fun activities, including dancing, basketball tournaments or even t-shirt making, organizers said.

“I think it’s a great program,” said Dudley Stewart of the Jackson Heights Green Alliance, which also worked to bring the program to the neighborhood. “Right now, we have a lot of camps for really little kids, but this is good for the slightly older children."

PAL, which touts itself as the city’s largest independent youth development program, works with kids aged 3-19.

While the summer program is just one of its offerings, PAL also runs several after-school programs, youth-employment and city-wide sports camps.

The Jackson Heights Green Alliance hopes that harried parents would get some time off supervising their kids as PAL associates keep an eye on them during the week and community volunteers take over on the weekends.

PAL associates can be found at the 78th Street Play Street, between 34th Avenue and Northern Boulevard, from July 9 to Aug 24. The program is free.