New name, same mission.

The West Volusia Police Athletic League has been officially renamed the DeLand Police Athletic League.

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“The new name reaffirms the commitment and the mission of the organization and our police department to our community’s children,” said Police Chief Jason Umberger. “We’re still serving all of our youth in West Volusia but the organization's home is here in DeLand.”

Chief Umberger and the police department have helped engineer a comeback for the DeLand Police Athletic League, which was floundering after losing funding from various partners.

The DeLand Police Department now serves as the sole law enforcement sponsor for the organization and then in 2019 hired Willie Johnson, who now serves as full-time director for DeLand PAL.

The community has also stepped in to support the organization. The House Next Door in DeLand purchased a van that transports children to and from its location for after-school mentoring. For the upcoming fiscal year, the City Commission appropriated $40,000 for the organization.

While PAL has various sports programs such as basketball, soccer, golf and weightlifting, Johnson has taken the approach of teaching youth life skills such as fishing, cooking, photography and gardening.

“Sports like football and basketball become a smaller part of your life as you grow older,” Johnson said. “This gives our children a chance to try other things that might spark their interest and maybe even later get them a college scholarship.”

DeLand PAL has also continued the police department’s successful On-Track program, which teaches children how to care for a bicycle. Johnson added that DeLand PAL is working to launch a reading clinic and a mentoring program that pairs children with military veterans.

The DeLand PAL facility is located at 420 South Delaware Avenue in DeLand. For more information, people may call 386-366-4526 or email Johnson at johnsonw@deland.org

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