BY JENNI NEWBURY ROSS
PALS Co-Founder & Executive Director
In our first years of camper applications, we asked “Why PALS?” to understand why parents might choose our program. The question, simple as it may seem, has since become embedded into the fabric of our community. We ask our volunteers to learn more about their intentions and where they hope to grow from the experience. We spend time at the end of each volunteer leadership retreat with our young leaders sharing their “Why PALS,” and our staff team reflects on “Why PALS” at least once a year to renew our commitment to the organization.
The concept is grounding. We want our community to be present and to have fun, to be passionate, and to be genuinely invested in our mission. The "Why PALS" question is personal and unique to each of our stories, yet it unites us in a shared commitment to inspire a world of belonging.
“PALS has given us an opportunity to share an undeniable love and a belief in the inherent value of every person.”
My "Why PALS" has changed over the years. When we started PALS in 2004, I was creating something for my brother, Jason. I knew that we had created something unique and powerful – something Jason couldn’t have experienced elsewhere, and something we could participate in together as equals. A few years later, I witnessed PALS’ impact on my own character, growing and changing me as a person, building me as a leader, and challenging me as a human being.
Now, my “why” is tied to our young family. When my husband, Steve, and I talk about our children and their future, PALS is often where we begin. We can’t imagine a better way to spend our time, a better group of people to grow with, nor a better vision to share with the next generation.
Jenni with her daughter Lilian, brother Jason, son Ethan, and husband Steve at PALS Holiday
With this in mind, Steve and I made the decision to donate my salary back to PALS annually. Last January, when we made this commitment for the 2020 year, we were motivated by the same “Why PALS” that has driven our involvement for so long. As parents, we spend a lot of time thinking about the world that our children will experience. As Christians, Steve and I want to spend our time serving and loving others. PALS has given us an opportunity to share an undeniable love and a belief in the inherent value of every person.
Jenni’s daughter, Lilian with PALS camper Danny Svachula
Over the past 16 years, PALS has become a place of belonging for my whole family. Steve began volunteering at PALS in 2008, just a few months after we started dating. Our daughter, Lilian, attended her first Camp PALS at five weeks old. And our son, Ethan, spent his first PALS summer meeting over 1,000 people at 12 programs in 2019. PALS continues to shape our lives and the moments we share together. We treasure memories from every program - like Lilian and Jason singing karaoke together at PALS Holiday, Ethan learning how to clap for the first time at PALS Boston closing ceremonies, or that time Jason sprinted through a PALS arrival tunnel in NY while holding a one year old Lilian in his arms.
We are committing this gift in gratitude for the impact PALS has had on our family, in solidarity with the thousands of volunteers who donate their time year after year for the PALS experience, and with the firm belief that our world will be changed for the better through these life-changing inclusive experiences.
As we begin this New Year, we invite you to reflect on your "Why PALS" as well. What makes you return to this community again and again? Why do you believe in a world of belonging? How has your story led you to invest in the PALS magic? This year has been hard, and has left many of us feeling isolated and fearful. I pray that we can each hold tight to the hope and joy within the PALS family, and that we can find pieces of that summer magic to share with one another until we’re able to join together again.
Jenni’s brother, Jason, performing alongside his niece, Lilian