BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Police Athletic League's PlayStreets Program has two weeks left for the summer. The program travels to a different Buffalo neighborhood each week to help kids develop healthy habits.
Every week, the Buffalo PAL staff and police officers go out and hang out with the kids and sometimes even their parents from those Buffalo neighborhoods. Many of those kids are considered at-risk.
The goal is for the kids to get to know one another, play sports, and ultimately help them create healthy habits.
This is something Lisa Wardynski believes in. She is with Independent Health, which is the organization that help makes this PAL Program possible.
Wardynski said it's better to go into these neighborhoods directly and help create these opportunities for these kids. And by doing this, she said this also eliminates barriers to participation including transportation and equipment.
Wardynski believes by making meaningful connections and developing trust will make a tangible difference in the community health in Buffalo.
"Access to healthy activities is hard to find and it's better to go into neighborhoods where people live. It's right across the street from your home, you know, you can find it moves around in different locations and it's really important to meet people where they are," Wardynski said.
At each park, the program runs from Tuesday to Thursday. The first two days are used for signing up. On Thursdays, each kid who participates walks away with free equipment whether that's a basketball, football, or soccer ball. Kids will also get a bookbag filled with goodies in it and a free t-shirt.
This is the Buffalo PAL remaining schedule for August:
- Aug. 8-10: Delaware Park (4:30-7:30 p.m.)
- Aug. 15-17: Cazenovia Park (4:30-7:30 p.m.)