PAL SUMMER CAMP IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SAY YES BUFFALO & BUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Camp Champs at Hennepin Community Center

Since 2015, The Police Athletic League of Buffalo, Inc. has hosted Camp Champs at the multiple locations in partnership with  Say Yes Buffalo (SYB), Buffalo Public Schools (BPS), the City of Buffalo, and Erie County. The camps operate for six weeks, Monday through Friday for a full seven hour day. This year, camps will run July 7th– August 15th 2025. This program is offered to City of Buffalo residents who attend a Buffalo Public or Charter school in grades PK-6th.

Camp Champs activities include a blend of academic and extracurricular activities. As part of the academic activities, sites implement evidence-based literacy and math curriculum. All of our Camp Champ sites offer breakfast, lunch, and snack each day, which is done in collaboration with BPS Food Service.

The primary goal of the Camp Champs initiative is to enhance students’ academic growth. Typically, over the summer in low-income communities like Buffalo, students lose two months of reading skills and more than two months of math skills. Participation in high-quality summer learning programs helps students avoid this typical summer learning loss. In addition to enhancing academic growth, the Summer Camp initiative aims to improve health and wellness and keep children safe.