Promoting Play in the San Fernando Valley
At Sun Country Playgrounds, we take pride in the ways our playgrounds positively affect the communities where they are built. At its core, a playground is a safe place for all to gather and, as the name suggests, play. It nurtures the sense of discovery and learning that playing promotes in children. When the LAPD Devonshire PALS Center approached Sun Country Playgrounds with an idea for a new playground, we knew it was an opportunity to provide children with a safe space to grow.
Because Every Kid Needs a PAL
The LAPD Devonshire PALS Center works closely with the community to provide a nurturing environment for kids aged 7-17 and to help promote quality enrichments and activities under the mentorship of LAPD officers, all for free. Since 1973, the Devonshire PALS have been creating safer communities with enrichment programs for youth in the San Fernando Valley. The grand opening of the center was celebrated in 2009, with the addition of an inclusive playground in 2018.
On their impressive campus where the playground now stands, the PALS program offers:
- Arts education – arts and crafts, fine arts, culinary arts, animation, folklorico dance, guitar lessons, dance lessons, and movie making
- Academics – tutoring, homework help, computer skills, reading club, funology math, Legos, science class, engineering, and chess club
- Athletics – basketball, soccer, horseback riding, boxing, and recreational skills
- Tae Kwon Do – 3 separate level classes including black belt training
- Leadership activities – leadership conferences
- Crime prevention education - PALS Counselors in Training, Live B.L.U.E. Mentoring, LAPD Jr. Cadets, LAPD Police Cadets
- Career and college planning assistance – college preparation classes
- Activities programs – Field trips, summer camp, community service projects, Teen Style Fridays
To learn more about the Greig Smith LAPD Devonshire PALS Center, visit their website.
Captain Burns of the Devonshire LAPD unit describes the center with pride:
“The Greig Smith LAPD Devonshire PALS Center is a safe and secure environment where children of our community can attend after-school programs, interact with police officers, and learn valuable life skills. The volunteers and police officers who work at the PALS Center are committed to teaching our youth leadership, integrity, and character. This center allows youth access to computer labs, sports programs, and tutoring opportunities that will help our youths to grow and learn how to be the leaders of the future.”
The Playground Is Now Open!
In 2018, we celebrated the opening of the new playground at the LAPD Devonshire PALS Center. The community gathered in this new space as children climbed on the monkey bars and played on the slide for the first time. This was one of the many ways the community was able to participate in the beautification of their space and develop pride in it.
Now that the ribbon has been cut on the new playground, the PALS Center is just a little more vibrant – it’s a community center complete with learning opportunities, leadership activities, arts education, and fun. It’s the perfect place for a kid to be a kid.
“We serve over 100 kids per day but impact one child at a time…”
Promoting play at a center for growth like the LAPD Devonshire PALS Center presents the opportunity for children to thrive, and the community’s involvement creates impactful change. If you would like more information about how you can get involved with your community, contact Sun Country Playgrounds at (661) 529-7133 today.
Sun Country Playgrounds is proud to be associated with programs such as the LAPD Devonshire PALS. See photos of the PALS playground by clicking here.
