Inwood/Lawrence Police Athletic League program gets under way

After months of planning, the Inwood/Lawrence Police Athletic League program is ready to get under way at the Five Towns Community Center in Lawrence, with two new youth programs.

The re-established program received an initial financial infusion from Nassau County on Dec. 23, when County Executive Laura Curran and Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder donated $25,000 of the county’s asset-forfeiture money.

The Nassau County PAL, which operates in 40 communities, is a tax-exempt nonprofit managed by an executive board and a board of trustees. The NCPD provides officers to oversee the separate PAL programs and to establish a rapport with the youth in their communities.

Sasha Young, who founded Gammy’s Pantry, a food bank at the community center, also serves as the head of its youth advocacy program.

She helped spearhead the reintroduction of the PAL program, along with the center’s executive director, K. Brent Hill. Young said that basketball and arts and crafts clinics will kick off at the center later this month, and will be held once a week for six weeks.

“The basketball clinic will begin on Monday the 22nd, and the arts and crafts program will begin on Saturday the 27th,” Young said. “The goal for basketball is to eventually play other PAL teams. But for now, we’re just focused on getting things going here.”

While PAL usually includes youth sports leagues such as football and soccer as well as basketball, non-sports activities will also be offered: a performing arts program, a robotics club and the Explorers program, in which young people who are interested in careers in law enforcement will spend time at a training facility in Mineola.

Young added that the PAL arts and crafts and basketball clinics are available for children ages 6 to 14. Volunteers are also welcome. “We can always use more volunteers for not just the PAL, but also for other activities that we do at the community center,” she said. “Luckily, we’ve had some people step up to volunteer so far. Those interested in volunteering can reach out to me.”

Inwood resident Ilyassha Shivers will be one of the PAL volunteers. His first volunteer effort was as a youth football coach for the Inwood Buccaneers Athletic Club in the 1990s.

“When I began coaching with the Buccaneers, I didn’t have children of my own, so I viewed it as an opportunity to give back to the community,” Shivers said. “Now that I have children, I always want to help provide opportunities for my children and also give other children a place to go have fun.”

Shivers also recalled playing sports when he was young in a league similar to PAL, the Police Boys Club. “If you didn’t make the school team, there was always an opportunity to play in an organizer sports league like the PBC, where you can work on your skills,” he said. “I was also inspired by adults in the community that were willing to give their time and [provide] a safe space for kids to come together and have a good time.”

Inwood resident Brian Walsh will also be a volunteer. He said that the PAL will be important for helping kids stay active as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

“Both of my kids play sports, and it’s important for children to play sports, as it helps give them confidence and helps structure their lives as well,” Walsh said. “With this pandemic, it’s been hard to get kids moving, as they’ve been stuck in the house on their computers. It’s important to get them out and about.”

Young credited the efforts of Inwood resident and businessman Pete Sobol, a longtime community center board member who died on Feb. 3, for bringing the league to the center. 

“We were extremely grateful to work with Pete on this, and we will miss him greatly as a board member,” she said. “In honor of Pete, we are laser-focused on continuing to bring positive experiences to the children in the community.”

Signup for both activities will be held at the community center on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. There will be a $30 fee for each program. For more information about volunteering, email Sasha Young at syoung@fivetownsmail.org.