contributed photo
At one of the Police Activity League events in Sartell’s Val Smith Park, children had a chance to learn about K-9 dogs and their handlers. Officer Adam Seifermann of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources brought his K-9, Ruby, to the park. In this photo are Seifermann, Ruby and siblings Hazel and Hank Molitor of Holdingford.
by Dennis Dalman
This summer’s Police Activities League, dubbed PAL, was a huge and popular success in June and July with young children and parents who gathered weekly at Sartell’s Val Smith Park in east Sartell.
PAL, free of cost to families, is sponsored every summer by the Sartell Police Department. The event is a way for children to have fun while learning about good citizenship, kindness and safety. It is designed for children from 5 to 15 years old. This summer it took place every Wednesday from 6:30-8 p.m. June 12 through July 26. The programs this summer were coordinated by Sartell schools’ Resource Police Officer Robby Lyon.
Val Smith Park is located next to the Evergreen Village Mobile Home Park. One of PAL’s most enthusiastic fans is Megan Voss, community manager/salesperson for Evergreen Village. Every Wednesday Voss has participated and observed first-hand the excitement and fun enjoyed with police officers and other special public servants who interacted with the children. One of them was one of her daughters, Adyleigh Hinnenkamp, who happens to be gluten-intolerant, like another child who attends the PAL events.
“On the first day of PAL, they (police volunteers) held a party with pizzas from Gary’s Pizza,” Voss told the Newsleader. “They made sure to include my child and the other child with gluten intolerance, and they got them special gluten-free pizza. They did not have to go above and beyond to make sure our kiddos weren’t left out, but they did and for that I am forever grateful. Since my daughter had this disease (celiac disease), since she was 3, she’s had to miss out on a lot of things, and she was so excited to be able to be part of the pizza party!”
Voss raved up the variety of fun and educational activities made available during the PAL events: basketball, dodge ball, arts-and-crafts sessions, to name just some. There were also many special events that included visits by the St. Cloud SWAT team and the Sartell Fire Department, visits from a K-9 officer and his dog, lunches of hot dogs and ice-cream desserts and much, much more.
One of the summer’s highlights, Voss noted, was when the Life Link helicopter landed in the park, wowing the kids who scrambled to explore the landed aircraft.
“They (the Life Link crew) spent an hour letting everyone take turns entering the helicopter and answering everyone’s questions. It was a huge treat for the kiddos and parents.”
Voss said the Sartell Police Department deserves a great big shout-out of praise.
“The fantastic program they put on yearly brings our children closer to law enforcement,” Voss said. “And it’s all possible because of the men and women who risk their lives daily to keep our community safe.”
Adyleigh Hinnenkamp, school resource police officer Robby Lyon, Brooklyn Hinnenkamp, firefighter Rick Lyon, Jordan Feiler and firefighter Robb Johnson. The three children are all Sartell residents.
The Life Link medical helicopter was a big hit with children and adults when it landed in Val Smith Park for a Police Activities League event earlier this summer. In the photo at left is Jordan Feiler, sisters Adyleigh and Brooklyn Hinnenkamp and Sartell schools’ Resource Police Officer Robby Lyon. Lyon was the coordinator of this past summer’s Wednesday Police Activities League events for children ages 5-15.
