Raina Harmon: Growing up in PAL

If you were looking for the 8-year old Raina Harmon, you wouldn’t have to look much further than the neighborhood gym, field, or diamond.

To describe Raina Harmon as a “PAL kid” is a bit of an understatement.  Growing up, she participated in a PAL program all year round – cheerleading in the summer, basketball in the fall, skiing in the winter, and softball in the spring.  She, quite literally, grew up in the program. 

“Raina was one of those kids that everyone knew,” remembers Think Detroit PAL Assistant Athletic Director and Detroit Police Officer Darnell Hall.  “Not just because she was always around, but because she was good at everything!”

Nearly twenty years later, it’s as if nothing – and everything – has changed for Raina.  She’s still spending all of her time with the programs at Think Detroit PAL, but now she’s doing so as an Assistant Athletic Director helping to run programs for kids just like her. 

“It’s funny how often I’ll meet a kid who reminds me of myself at that age,” says Raina.  “I want to tell them to keep working hard and stay involved with things that will keep them out of trouble and they will have a solid future.”

Participating in PAL programs as a young girl helped Raina build the self-confidence and hone the talent that allowed her to excel as a basketball standout at King High School.  Raina attended Central Michigan University on a full basketball scholarship and enjoyed a successful collegiate playing career. 

Like many successful athletes, Raina was at a loss when her playing career came to an end.  “It was like I didn’t know what I wanted to do with myself now that basketball – which had been such a huge part of my life for so long – was over.”  She knew that she wanted to incorporate sports into her professional plans so she tried her hand at the work, through internships with the Queensland Softball Association in Queensland, Australia and with the Detroit Shock WNBA team. 

“It was great to come to the realization that my passion could also be my job,” said Raina.  After her internships ended, Raina got a job at the Academy of Oak Park as a Physical Education and Health teacher and coached the middle school boys basketball team.  All the while, she knew that she wanted to get back into the program that was so important to her.

That’s when she talked with Virgil Spight, the then Executive Director of PAL.  “He advised me to join the police academy,” she remembers.  “I attended the first meeting and had my testing all set up.” 

Before she could go though with her training, however, she got word that Think Detroit and PAL were intending to merge.  One month later, they did.  The first hire of the newly-merged organization?  Raina Harmon. 

Turns out, that hire three years ago was a smart one – today Raina serves as the commissioner for the cheerleading, basketball, golf, and softball programs.  She also interned with the NCAA  and local organizing committee as an Events Assistant with the Men’s Basketball Final Four (which she completed as the last requirement of her Masters Degree in Sports Administration from Wayne State University). 

So now, if you’re looking for Raina Harmon, you still wouldn’t have to look much further than the neighborhood gym, field, or diamond.  But now she’s not just there to play – she’s using sports to give other kids the same opportunities that she had growing up.

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