From the Beaufort County Police Activities League

 

The Beaufort County Police Activities League (PAL) just completed a unique four week summer camp for 13 Beaufort County youth. The camp was developed by PAL and focused on water activities and STEM concepts. This camp represents the second year that PAL has offered a summer camp program. The first year the camp was three weeks long; this year the camp was extended to four weeks and included additional activities. The activities included a variety of exciting programs including a boat safety course, life-skills, financial literacy, swimming lessons, field trips, snorkeling/diving, kayaking, flying an airplane flight simulator, and operating a sailboat. PAL Senior Team Leaders Kenyetta Burnette and Michael Cobb helped provide daily supervision and mentoring for the youth. A graduation ceremony will be held later this month.

PAL President Al Powell said that the camp was partially funded by funds from the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council and Potash Corp. Powell explained how the camp would not have been possible without a unique collaboration of partners that included the Boys and Girls Club, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Washington Parks and Recreation, First Bank, Estuarium-Partnership for the Sounds, Rum Runner Dive Shop, US Coast Guard, Washington Police and Fire Departments, and Dillon’s Aviation. The last two weeks of the camp consisted of kayaking and learning to operate a sailboat; the Pamlico Tar River Foundation obtained a grant to fund the kayaking program while the Little Washington Sailing School utilized scholarship funds for the sailboat program. Daily transportation for the staff and youth was provided by the Beaufort Area Transit System (BATS) while the Care-O-World Enrichment Center coordinated the breakfast and lunch program to provide food for the camp.