BY SARAH WERNIKOFF

PALS Executive Board Member

We often ask members of the PALS Family “Why PALS?” to learn how our mission has impacted their lives. This month, we hear Sarah’s story. Sarah is a parent, donor, and the newest member of the PALS Board!

“My family and I are proud to support PALS. I love PALS’ prioritization of inclusion while celebrating differences”

Dear PALS Family,

Our first experience with PALS was PALS Monterey, near our home in the Bay Area when Tate was 14 years old. It was Tate's first independent overnight camp experience. After the first camp, Tate was hooked! She has since attended camps in Washington, DC, and Chicago.

My family and I are proud to support PALS. We love PALS because of the enormously positive and energetic culture of the people involved with PALS, the creative fun experiences the programs offer for young adults, and the opportunities for independence that the programs provide. I also love PALS' prioritization of inclusion while celebrating differences.

It's interesting to reflect that cumulatively Tate has only spent 2.5 weeks at (in-person) PALS over the last 5 years (in part due to COVID) and yet it still has had such an incredible impression on her. To me, this underscores the magical special sauce of the PALS experience, and why it is so important to donate to PALS. As a parent I am not there, so I don't know firsthand what it is, but I know the outcome and how it makes me daughter feel. She loves everything about PALS and as soon as camp is over, she's already asking when she can sign up again. She can't wait to return to in-person camp in Summer 2022!

PALS Love,
Sarah Wernikoff