On December 05, 2024, DPS coordinated a holiday party for participants from three local Philadelphia Police Athletic League (PAL) centers.  Held in the Kozloff Room at the TSE Center thanks to the generous support of Penn Athletics Department, the event was hosted by the Division of Public Safety, Penn Athletics, & the Police Athletic League (PAL) and supported by thoughtful student volunteers from Penn Athletics and OFSL.

The party provided an opportunity for Penn students to show their enthusiasm for our local community, making a significant impact on the success of the event. The student volunteers joined our DPS and PAL volunteers, engaging with the PAL kids in myriad ways. Whether serving food, engaging in games, and special 360-photos, or assisting the children with their holiday crafts, they helped to make a memorable experience for everyone.

PAL has been a valued partner and a part of the fiber of the Division of Public Safety for many decades. We believe in the mission of Cops Helping Kids. The PAL holiday party was great fun for the PAL participants, with the energetic support of our volunteers of Penn coaches, student athletes, & sorority and fraternity members. We are grateful for their participation.

Volunteers: University of Pennsylvania’s Athletic Teams:

• Women’s Basketball Team
• Women’s Soccer Team
• Men’s Squash Team
• Men’s Football Team
• Men’s Lacrosse  (special thank you to Ethan Till)

Volunteers: University of Pennsylvania’s Fraternities & Sororities Participants:

• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
• Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority, Inc.
• Alpha Kappa Delta Phi Sorority, Inc.
• Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc.
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
• Sigma Lambda Upsilon Sorority, Inc.
• La Unidad, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
• 

And a special thank you to the team who coordinated this event:

From PAL, PPD Captain Metellus, Director Katie Owens, Program Coordinator Stacee Hendricks, and Supervisor Joshua Kent.

From DPS, Director of Community Outreach and Engagement Gary Williams, Director of Communications Stacy Ritchey, and Officer Nickol Taylor.