FOOTAGE FOR BROADCAST USE AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK<\/a><\/p>\nThe funding will strengthen the PAL Webster-Giannone Center\u2019s mission to build, develop, and inspire the leaders of tomorrow. The center serves youth ages 5 through 19. Children in grades 1 through 8 have access to homework assistance, academic enrichment, arts and crafts, recreation, and performing arts. Teens have access to recreation and performing arts as well as tutors, youth development programming, self-enrichment workshops, college tours, and academic support. Participants also take part in center, borough, and citywide events where they build sportsmanship, teamwork, and life skills.<\/p>\n
PAL is one of New York City\u2019s largest independent youth development nonprofits and a designated charity of the NYPD. PAL provides safe spaces for young people from birth through age 24 in neighborhoods across the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cI secured this funding because kids in the Bronx deserve the same access to safe spaces, mentorship, and opportunity as kids anywhere else,\u201d said Rep. Torres. \u201cThe PAL Webster-Giannone Center gives young people a place to learn, grow, and build a future outside the reach of violence. This investment strengthens that work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRepresentative Torres has been a tireless champion of PAL, and our mission to create safe spaces where young people can access life-changing programs and build lasting community,\u201d said\u00a0PAL CEO\u00a0Carlos Velazquez. \u201cYouth development is public safety, and we\u2019re grateful for this critical funding, which will empower PAL to continue shaping this city\u2019s next generation of leaders.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
This funding reflects Rep. Torres\u2019s continued focus on reducing crime through investment in youth programming rather than enforcement alone. By expanding access to academic support, mentorship, and recreation, the PAL Webster-Giannone Center gives Bronx youth constructive alternatives during the hours when they are most vulnerable to violence and other risks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yesterday, Rep.\u00a0Ritchie Torres\u00a0(NY-15) announced $500,000 in federal funding he secured through Community Project Funding for the Police Athletic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":323400,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-323399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}