We’re thrilled to announce the newest additions to the PALS staff team—our very first Residents! This new residency is a one year opportunity for emerging professionals to work closely with our team and gain firsthand experience in nonprofit management, diversity & inclusion, and career development.
I’ve never been good at juggling… Or so I thought? After being a Program Lead, I learned that juggling several commitments is manageable with a little bit of planning and all of your heart. If you’ve been thinking about trying something new, take that chance! It may turn into magic!
One of the most important components of the PALS model is our 1 to 1, peer to peer model. We believe strongly in the power of shared experiences, and we pair people together who can connect at camp but also find common ground in their life stages as well.
The off-season programming at PALS has been part of our work since 2014. Over the past 10 years, we have run Adventures all across the country.
In June of 2016, I stepped onto Cabrini University’s campus, flooded with nervous excitement, for my first week of camp at PALS Philadelphia. Little did I know that I was about to experience the greatest dance parties, participate in an unforgettable karaoke night, build life-long friendships, and change the course of my life.
We are thrilled to be kicking off Summer 2022 in June! Thanks to our community, we are able to spend every summer celebrating the PALS magic in camps across the country with over 1,000 participants. PALS benefits from the generosity of donors across the country. Every dollar raised goes towards creating inclusive camp experiences for people with Down syndrome and their peers.
Jason Newbury has been a part of PALS since it was founded in 2004. He enjoys joining PALS each year and meeting new people. As a sibling of Jenni Newbury Ross, Co-founder and Executive Director of PALS, he is very involved in the PALS community! Jenni had a chat with Jason to hear why PALS is important to him and advice he has for someone joining this summer. You can also see part of this interview via PALS TikTok.
Each month, the PALS team spends some time learning about and discussing a topic to broaden our understanding of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This past month, we read articles, watched news reports, and listened to podcasts about LGBTQ+ rights, and specifically the recent proliferation of anti-trans legislation in local and state governments across the country.
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!
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.
