Supervisor Bill Reilich, the Greece Town Board, and the Greece Parks and Recreation Department today held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the dedication of the Greece Police Athletic League (GPAL) Fields at Badgerow Park South, located at 1120 Latta Road in Greece. A dedication sign was hung on the fence of the first baseball field in the park.
The Greece Police Athletic League is an organization that aims to bring the community and the police department together while allowing police officers in the community to build relationships with the people in the neighborhoods they police. The GPAL was founded by retired Greece Police Chief Gerald Phelan and is now run by his son, Greece Police Chief Patrick Phelan, who has been with the Greece Police Department since 1989. Chief Gerald Phelan’s goal was to keep children off of the streets through encouraging them to participate in sports with officers from the department. Since its founding, the program has grown to offer many different sporting leagues, including softball, football, basketball, and boxing. The police officers within the department act as instructors and mentors for the kids, while striving to teach them a new sport or helping them to become more proficient within a sport they currently participate in. The program, which is free of charge and remains the only completely free Police Athletic League (PAL) program within New York State, is intended to be more than simply learning about or playing a sport; it is about building good relationships with police officers in a positive environment and promoting healthy youth activities. In order to raise funds, the GPAL organizes an annual mailing campaign, where they distribute letters asking for donations from the community to keep the program running strong for another year.
Police Athletic League registration is held in late June. Please see below for the 2017 PAL schedule:
Ages:
6, 7 & 8:
10:00am Monday and Wednesday @ Badgerow South Park
First day of play is July 10th, 2017
9 & 10:
1:00pm Monday and Wednesday @ Badgerow South Park
First day of play is July 10th, 2017
11-13:
10:00am Tuesday and Thursday @ Badgerow South Park
First day of play is July 11th, 2017
14-16:
1:00pm Tuesday and Thursday @ Badgerow South Park
First day of play is July 11th, 2017
“The Greece Police Athletic League is a fantastic program that supports positive community involvement with the Greece Police Department”. Said Supervisor Reilich. “I am honored today to dedicate the fields at Badgerow Park South to the GPAL. I am sure these fields will be used for years to come as an environment that encourages police and community engagement”.
Supervisor Bill Reilich, the Greece Town Board, and the Town of Greece will be recognizing the Greece Police Department on Sunday, August 13th, at the Town of Greece Police Recognition and Appreciation Event. This event, which will be hosted at the Greece Town Hall Campus from 2:00pm-4:00pm, will be in conjunction with the last Town of Greece Summer Concert Series featuring country tunes from 90 West Band. There will be chicken BBQ meals available for purchase at the event, and proceeds collected will go towards the Greece Police Athletic League.