Richmond Police Athletic League

The Spring Break Sports Camp provides a safe environment for up to 100 inner-city youth during Spring Break. Programming includes sports clinics, life skills classes and mentoring/ tutoring, as well as nutritional and conditioning training.

Richmond PAL conducts a Biddy Ball Basketball Camp each winter for children ages 8-13. The program teaches the fundamentals of ball handling, passing, rebounding, defense, and general knowledge of the game to improve and enhance the essential skills of individual and team play.

This five-week long camp is designed to provide each child with an enjoyable and rewarding learning experience. This is accomplished by making sure each participant receives opportunities to participate in individual skill competition as well as game situations.

Through the sport of basketball, our Biddy Ball Camp teaches the value of discipline, determination, and structure in order to enhance personal skills and confidence while reaching measurable goals. The program also introduces the concept of teamwork in an effort to show participants how working together harmoniously can yield successful results. We believe these skills and concepts are critical for our participants not only for their physical development, but for their social and emotional development as well.

The camp is staffed by Richmond Police Officers and former college and high school players. At the conclusion of the camp, each participant receives a medal and a PAL t-shirt.

Through a partnership with Swansboro Elementary School, Richmond PAL created the Boys in Blue Program in an endeavor to create sustainable connections, foster lifelong memories, and provide opportunities for hope and positive future relations with the youngest citizens in our community. Boys in Blue is a mentorship program designed to provide bonding opportunities between Richmond Police Officers and Richmond Public Schools students in an effort to inspire academic achievement, enhance the self-efficacy and self-concept of young male students, and instill pride in our community.

Through this initiative, students engage in weekly lunches with RPD’s officers, discuss barriers to academic and behavioral success, as well as talk about the concerns that they may have surrounding the communities in which they reside. Officers deliver character education lessons provided by the Virginia Department of Education and guide students through making good choices, conflict resolution, and other critical life skills. This mentorship program not only assists our male population in becoming better students, but will work to provide a bridge, connecting our schools, our community, and those who protect and serve our Commonwealth.

Richmond PAL provides an amateur Olympic-Style boxing Program that is a blend of offensive and defensive skills geared to provide participants with exercise, character development, self confidence, self-discipline, structure, work ethic, and friendship. We believe the sport of boxing allows participants to build physical and emotional strength that is channeled in a positive outlet.
At this level of boxing, the participant uses speed, maneuverability, and technique to outscore the opponent and win the decision. Our boxing program is open to both boys and girls ages 8-17.

Richmond PAL’s NFL Flag Football League is a competitive program comprised of all the Richmond Public Middle Schools. Our Richmond Police Officers participate as coaches and referees in this successful league that teaches participants the value of commitment and perseverance while fostering a safe, welcoming environment and encouraging positive male camaraderie and teamwork. The league begins in the spring and is available to boys ages 12 to 14.

Lacrosse is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. Each fall, Richmond PAL offers a free Lacrosse Clinic that teaches introductory skills to boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 15. In the communities we serve, Lacrosse has not been an easily accessible sport for our children to experience. Through exposure to this sport, we hope to open the door of possibilities for our kids that will encourage them to try new things, take chances, and broaden their horizons.

The MIRROR Me Mentorship Program pairs Richmond Police Officers, workplace professionals, members of the Department of Emergency Communication, and community partners with students at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, George Wythe High School, and Huguenot High School each Wednesday for enrichment activities ranging from making vision boards, changing tires, playing kickball, baking cupcakes, and much more. The MIRROR Me Program aims to provide middle and high school students with life skills while also fostering positive, healthy relationships with our community members in a relaxed, welcoming environment. It is our goal to break down the barriers between the youth in the community and the authorities in the community by teaching the power of effective communication, mutual respect, and empathy.

Led by electric trumpet player and long-time School Resource Officer, Ronald May, the PAL Band is comprised of students of various ages as well as Richmond Police Officers. Together they perform holiday events across Richmond, an annual recital, and the PAL Christmas Party. While in the program, musicians are introduced to varying types of music that challenge and enhance their skills in order to realize their full musical potential. Expanding upon their musical knowledge allows participants to channel their emotions in a creative way for both personal growth and communal support. Whether the students decide to simply keep music as a hobby or choose to pursue it professionally, members of the PAL Band truly foster a bond that transcends even after the students graduate.