Beat the Streets Philadelphia in collaboration with the Philadelphia Police Athletic League have been awarded a transformative grant by Families Behind the Badge Children's Foundation!
The funds will be used to renovate a wrestling room for a new program at the Southwest PAL center while also replacing mats at the existing program at the Rizzo Pal center. The gift will also cover the operating costs for the first year of wrestling at Southwest PAL.
Rizzo PAL Wrestling Club coached by Ed Schneider has played a key role developed some of the very best wrestlers over the past three decades. PIAA State place winners, Joey Galasso (Father Judge), Miles Lee (South Philadelphia), Jameel Coles (Northeast) and Angel Garcia (MBA) all spent countless hours getting better at Rizzo PAL. In addition to producing talented wrestlers, the PAL wrestling program has helped hundreds of other young men and women become productive members of society, including Beat the Streets executive director, James Mangan.
This generous gift will position Beat the Streets Philadelphia to continue providing programming that alters life's trajectory for the youth at the Rizzo and Southwest PAL centers for another generation. On behalf of the entire BTSP organization, we would like to thank Deputy Commissioner Joseph Sullivan, Founder Mark O'Connor as well as the entire Leadership team of Families Behind the Badge Children's Foundation for entrusting us in delivering on our aligned mission of supporting Philadelphia youth.
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The Families Behind the Badge Children’s Foundation (FBBCF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit committed to improving the lives of children in the Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey area. We do this in three ways: by supporting the families of first responders who are killed or severely injured in the line of duty, by improving relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve and by encouraging our children through education and recreation. https://www.fbbcf.org/
PAL is “Cops Helping Kids.” We aspire to be the premier youth-serving organization in the city, by reducing crime, promoting character development, and improving educational outcomes. We do this by having Philadelphia Police Officers, supported by civilians, offer sports and other programs to youth in PAL centers in some of the city’s highest crime and lowest income neighborhoods. PAL Centers are safe havens, offering a variety of programs and other events to attract, engage, and develop an active membership base of more than 10,000 Philadelphia youth. https://phillypal.org/
Opportunities to get involved as a coach, a mentor, or a donor exist right now. If you would like to learn more about any of those please contact us.
