Sports, Training, Academics, Recreation / Police Athletic League
Initially two separate entities, the San Diego PAL(Police Athletic League) chapter was founded in 1988 and primarily served county areas, whereas the STAR (Sports Training, Academics, & Recreation) organization came into existence in 1993 to focus its programmatic efforts within city boundaries. The two organizations merged to form STAR/PAL in 1998, representing an alignment of city, county, and community efforts. The unification of programs, staff, volunteers, and the Board of Directors sought to ensure that all youth in the region have similar opportunities to participate in and reap the benefits of youth programming with law enforcement and public safety officers, as well as community leaders.
With the continuation of the Stay and Home Order at the direction of our California Governor, Gavin Newsom, STAR/PAL’s City Heights Center to Serve Youth and on-site programming remains closed. We are still here to serve the community, and are proactively seeking resources for our students and families during this time.
We have resumed several programs virtually in the classroom, with over 150 high school students receiving virtual mentoring from our staff and law enforcement officers. These programs include: Making Changes, We Can, Life Skills, Teen LEAP, and InterACTion. We also recently launched "Storytime with an Officer," a program that brings officers into elementary school classrooms to read a story and open healthy dialogue through a Q & A session.
We are looking forward to returning in person to classrooms across the county as schools begin to re-open, as well as reopening our on-site programs safely when allowed.
Thank you for your understanding and support during these unprecedented times. Please stay safe and healthy, and if you have any questions or concerns please reach me anytime at clebeau@starpal.org or (619) 531-2559.
To our San Diego community and Friends of STAR/PAL:
The tragic and unjustifiable killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis this past Memorial Day has sparked ongoing demonstrations and protests in nearly every major community in this country, including San Diego. These protests have clearly demonstrated the serious need for frank and in-depth conversations on how we finally move forward together to end racial injustice in our country.
Here at STAR PAL, it is fundamentally important that we speak up on matters of discrimination and support efforts to eliminate bias in our country. Racism is contrary to the purposes and goals of our organization. The harm, anguish, and anger caused by this blight in our society is very real for many of our youth, board members, volunteers, and staff. We fully support the effort to eliminate the presence of this evil from our country. Our meaningful work positively impacts people of different races and ethnic backgrounds within our underserved San Diego communities. We are in the business of helping others, especially our vulnerable youth, and we appreciate the nexus between our work with our youth and police departments.
STAR PAL is an apolitical nonprofit organization that is welcoming to all — regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and age. Much of STAR PAL’s work helps highlight and celebrate the diversity in our San Diego communities. Our STAR PAL youth, board of directors, volunteers, and staff are valued equally, and their respective lives offer many inspiring examples of responsible citizenship. Our organizational values of Safety, Trust, Perseverance, Compassion, and Empowerment mirror those of the what most communities strive to achieve no matter their race, creed or religion.
Moving forward STAR PAL will continue listening, learning, empathizing, communicating, and working together with community and civic leaders, our youth and police departments. Our staff and board will continue to strive to set an example relative to human rights, social justice, and racial equality. Our actions will ensure STAR PAL continues its upward trajectory of providing and creating positive change for our youth in our underserved San Diego communities.
Sincerely,
Greg Bond
Chairman of the STAR/PAL Board of Directors
