When it comes to reaching at-risk youth, Police Activities League President Al Powell urged the PAL board Thursday to help find ways to pull kids throughout the county into the program.

“The thing is, we’ve got to reach not only the kids, but the stigma of the parents,” Powell said.

With the summer programs coming up, and a tentative plan to create an aviation transportation program in partnership with the schools, PAL is seeking a diverse group — black, Hispanic, white, male, female —from all corners of the county to participate.

The PAL board met to review summer plans already in motion, fundraising and a return event, the PAL dinner dance that drew a fun-loving crowd to the Washington Civic Center last fall.

“(There was) diversity of attendance, people from all walks of life,” Powell described the dinner dance. “They showed a lot of different moves on the dance floor,” he laughed.

While most PAL organizations are required to pay $400 in dues yearly to the national office, Powell said the fee was waived this year for Beaufort County organization. He said he believed the reason was because, unlike other organizations, Beaufort County PAL is offering more than just athletics but gearing up for programs that take on education, social and safety issues.