Name: Preston ALbury
From: Sunrise, Florida
Votes: 37
My community service at the Davie Police Athletic League I believe is
the most rewarding experience I have had in my life to date. I
currently have 1450+ community service hours where 1300 of them
were from volunteering with the Davie P.A.L. Here I grew through many
service opportunities, such as a camp counselor, a coach, a STEM
teacher, and becoming the President of the Youth Leadership Group. I
have been committed to making the Davie Police Athletic League one of
the best, most influential non-profit organizations in Broward
County. For five years, I have helped establish new programs, as well
as improve existing ones. The summer camp grew from 20 to over 100
campers. Yes, the PAL has given me experiences and great memories. I
have had the opportunity to work with college professors from Nova
Southeastern University in a STEM class and even mentored amazing
kids. This past summer, I was invited to a Youth Leadership
conference in Washington D.C. Here, I was able to improve my
leadership skills, as well as meet inspiring speakers. At this
conference I was reminded to take ownership of everything I do and to
expect the best out of myself each day.
One of the other events that I helped start is the Davie P.A.L. Kids
Triathlon. This event continues to receive attention through the Sun
Sentinel and other newspapers. For the last three years I helped
organize and promote 12 kids triathlons. The first race had 76 kids
and it has grown to over 200 participants. Kids Triathlons were
non- existent in Broward until 3 years ago. The success of these
triathlons has lead to economic development and job creation in
Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach County. There is now 15 youth triathlon
coaches where 3 years ago there was 1. Bike stores are now selling
kids road bikes, and kid’s triathlon wear. Swim coaches have seen
an influx of their business as well. Teens from surrounding
schools have been able to use these races to get their community
service hours as well. Participating kids are now exposed to a new
sport and its continuing to grow. The biggest challenge I have had
while at the PAL is getting other kids to volunteer their time and
share my passion. Fortunately, I have been able to recruit 35
volunteers for each race and they are very successful in the
community. They are organized, well attended, and are a good
fundraiser for the Davie P.A.L. Once I leave for college I know this
is an event that will continue every year. Of course if they hold one
while I’m on school break I will be happy to pitch in and help.
Another project I am very proud of is this past summer I was tasked with the
responsibility of creating a service project that would help a local
Davie Florida resident named Barbara who was 65 years old and a
widow. Barbara’s front lawn was overgrown with trees, bushes, and
excessive number of weeds and debris. Her husband had passed away
about five years ago and during that time she was taking care of her
mother. Unfortunately, her mother passed away not too long afterwards
and she stopped taking care of her house and her yard.
The neighbors started to complain to the city and she was going to get
fined if she didn’t clean up the mess. To successfully complete the
project, I met with business owners and asked for their help with our
objective. Myself and the Youth Leadership Program board had a
meeting with local business leaders to discuss the need of materials,
tools, supplies, and the volunteers we would need to make this happen
for Barbara. Fortunately, all the companies were very generous and
were willing to help us out. Home Depot donated over a thousand
dollars in tools as well as volunteers. Mission Barbecue supplied
food and water for all 65 volunteers. Waste Management provided an 80
ft.³ dumpster for all the trash and debris to be loaded into. The
day of the project Barbra was very nervous about us all being there
and was trying to control whatever trash was thrown away. However, by
the end of the day she appreciated and accepted what myself and all
the other volunteers were doing for her. The yard was cleared and
you could see the driveway and her house from the street. She started
to cry and gave every single person a big hug. Later, that evening
Channel 7 news had aired a small segment and what we had
accomplished. It was very exciting to see the Davie Police Athletic
League and her project on television. This experience reinforced the
reason why I love giving back to the community.
