Watts said it's still too early to tell what difference the program is making, but expects it to have a bigger impact as the year progresses. Crisp said the program also involves the family and more individual attention with the group. The program is a series of videos and workbooks designed to strengthen family relationships, Crisp said, and takes about four to six months to complete, Crisp said. Crisp said the organization is looking for volunteers now to work with the boys in the Youth Enterprise program. PALS, which stands for Praise, Assurance, Love and Security, was started in 1972 and works on the same principle of the Big Brother, Big Sister organizations, Crisp said.
Volunteers work with an individual child once a week for at least three hours.
Volunteers usually work with a child for a year or more, but Crisp said some relationships last longer than that. That's what we want it to be, a friendship for life. He said children are referred to PALS through the public schools and other agencies. Right now, PALS is working with 40-45 kids who are paired with senior pals. That's not counting the youths in the enterprise program, but Crisp and Watts said they hope to be hearing from volunteers in the next few months.