Former participants are making their mark on Detroit and the nation as successful adults. In an effort to reconnect with these individuals, we are developing an alumni association. If you are or know of former participants, please contact Teyra Hurtt at teyrahurtt@thinkdetroitpal.org.

Think Detroit PAL was formed on March 1, 2006, by the merger of two of the leading youth development organizations in the Detroit area:  Think Detroit, Inc. and the Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL).

By 2006 Think Detroit was an 8-year-old organization serving approximately 5,500 youngsters annually through athletic leagues, leadership camps, and academic support for student-athletes.  Its work had also included the $1.2M renovation of Maheras Gentry Park on Detroit’s eastern riverfront. The organization had been designated by Crain’s Detroit Business as the Best-Managed Nonprofit in 2004, and had been recognized by the nation’s First Lady and the state’s First Gentleman as a model youth development organization.

Established in 1969 to improve relations between the police and community following the 1967 riots, Detroit PAL was a private nonprofit agency that was serving more than 7,000 young people annually through athletic leagues, day camps, and after-school tutoring programs.  PAL’s youth tackle football program was the largest of its kind in the country.  During its long history, PAL had changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Detroit kids.

The merger of these two organizations was designed to accomplish one goal: to serve more kids with better programs.