We give a big thank you to the PALS Recruitment Interns, Caden Cleffi and Sarai Cardenas. These two high school students have been working hard to bring their friends into PALS. We are so excited to share the fruits of their labors!

Courtney Mickens is the newest addition to our team, serving as the Program Manager for PALS Programs. He has over 10 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and has worked throughout his career to amplify the voices of those who are often left unheard.

April is National Volunteer Month and we are celebrating! An essential part of PALS’ model is the one-to-one pairing of a Partner with Down syndrome and a Peer without Down syndrome. At PALS we know that our programs are stronger and our connections deeper when we have a diverse group of participants, including all races, ethnicities, gender identities and expressions, and more. As we gear up for Summer 2022, we currently have far more female Peers than any other gender identity. We need your help to build a balanced and inclusive program.

April is National Volunteer Month! We are so grateful for each volunteer who makes PALS possible each summer. Meaghan has been part of PALS for more than 9 years as a paired Participant, Medical Volunteer, and Program Lead. Hear from Meaghan about her life currently and what she is excited about for this summer.

As April is National Volunteer Month, read AD’s reflection on his experience as a volunteer at PALS. AD joined PALS in 2019 and has served as a Volunteer Leader. He is currently a Program Lead this summer at PALS Baltimore. Since volunteering, he has been inspired to run two studies for more comprehensive research about people with Down syndrome.

Jess Trief has been a part of the PALS family for a long time! Back in 2006, her college friend (and PALS co-founder) Jason Toff told her about this camp he helped start that created an inclusive and welcoming environment for people with Down syndrome. And he told her they needed more people to participate as Peers. Jess hadn’t done anything like that before, but she had benefited from her own summer camp experience and decided to go and check it out. “The moment I arrived, I knew that this would be special.”

Emma Gugliotta will be joining PALS this summer as a Peer at PALS New Jersey. She is a new participant and learned about PALS when her family received a Congratulations Project letter. Her brother, Joey, has Down syndrome and her family was thrilled to hear words of hope, joy, and welcome from a participant at PALS. Let’s learn about Emma and what she is looking forward to this summer!

Cody began PALS in 2012 in California. He has been involved in PALS ever since! Cody currently teaches dance as an instructor. He has been dancing for almost 15 years, and has even been on So You Think You Can Dance!

This World Down Syndrome Day, PALS is celebrating by sharing “where are they now” stories about individuals in the PALS Family! Learn more about Sara, a longtime PALS participant and past program director.

Marissa started PALS in 2012 at Camp PALS West. She lives in California where she does acting workshops and works in films. She has a few call backs for films she has previously worked on for this summer!

This World Down Syndrome Day, PALS is celebrating by sharing “where are they now” stories about individuals in the PALS Family! Learn more about Eli, a longtime PALS participant.

With excitement, we welcome Mara, Sam, and Sarah, who recently joined the PALS Board of Directors. We are eager to see the impact they will make on PALS.

We often ask members of our PALS Family "Why PALS?" to learn how our mission has impacted their lives. This month, we hear the Brightcliffe family's story. Their family has been involved in PALS since 2015 and they look forward to being back at PALS this summer. Here is just one family's story of how scholarship funds make a huge impact.

Have you heard the news?! PALS is hosting an exciting campaign for a LIMITED time where YOU could earn your favorite Starbucks drink.

We are so excited to onboard this year’s Leadership Team. And, we are excited to announce that we officially have our 2022 Program Leads! These 32 individuals will be the creatives behind our most fun, inclusive and memorable programs yet!

Celebrating Black History Month is about honoring diversity. At PALS we work to build a world of belonging for all people. This means that we observe and celebrate differences, not that we ignore them and pretend like all people are the same.