The Pine Bluff Police Department celebrated the graduation of its annual P.A.Y. Camp this week, marking the end of a five-week summer program that combined life skills, mentorship and recreational activities for dozens of local children.
Campers participated in a graduation ceremony featuring musical performances, skits, team competitions and awards before family members and community supporters.
One of the highlights of the graduation was the team cheer competition, where campers performed routines they had practiced throughout the five-week program.
The kids were divided into five teams: Burgundy Root Beer, Green Olipops, Blue Mt. Dews, Pink Fanta Flames and Red Sierra Mist.
The teams competed before a panel of community judges that included Retired Colonel Nathaniel Todd, Tonia Crumpton, Attorney Efrem Neely, Pamela Williams and Joe Spadoni.
The Pink Fanta Flames team took first place in the cheer competition with a Michael Jackson-themed routine that drew enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Along with the performances, organizers recognized instructors, community partners and alumni volunteers who returned to mentor this year’s campers.
Several former campers, now in college or beginning careers, shared how the program helped shape them and encouraged this year’s participants to continue building on what they learned.
The P.A.Y. Camp, first established in 2008, serves children ages 6 to 16 and returned after a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s program enrolled 72 campers, with organizers hoping to continue rebuilding participation toward the approximately 300 children who attended before the pandemic.
Throughout the program, campers took part in lessons covering topics including internet safety, conflict resolution, health and fitness, cooking, fire safety, leadership, arts and crafts, changing a tire and tying a tie.
They also participated in field trips to destinations including the Memphis Zoo, Magic Springs, bowling alleys, skating rinks and other recreational and educational sites.
Assistant Chief Shirley Warrior, who oversees the P.A.Y. Camp, said the graduation ceremony marked the culmination of five weeks of instruction, teamwork and preparation by campers, officers and volunteers.
Pine Bluff police officers serve as instructors, leading classes and mentoring campers while teaching life skills and encouraging teamwork through daily activities.
Warrior also said the camp is designed to help young people build discipline, teamwork and positive relationships while giving them an opportunity to interact with police officers outside of law enforcement situations.
During the ceremony, organizers also recognized several former campers who returned to volunteer with this year’s program.
Three full-time alumni volunteers received $2,000 scholarships, while three part-time volunteers received $200 monetary awards in recognition of their service.
Warrior said seeing former campers return to mentor younger participants has become one of the program’s most rewarding traditions.
She also noted that campers follow structured expectations throughout the program, including dress requirements and a prohibition on cell phones and other electronic devices, allowing participants to focus on activities and interact with one another face-to-face.
John Worthen, one of the camp’s instructors, said one of the biggest changes he noticed was the confidence and discipline campers developed over the five weeks.
He said many children entered camp still adjusting to routines and social interaction following the lasting effects of the pandemic, but gradually formed friendships, worked together and became more comfortable participating in activities without their phones.
Parents also said they noticed positive changes at home.
Tasha Ford, whose daughter participated on the Pink Fanta Flames team, said her daughter became more respectful, was more willing to complete chores and looked forward to attending camp each day.
She said the experience gave her daughter an opportunity to make new friends, learn practical skills and stay active during the summer.
Ford added that programs like P.A.Y. Camp provide children with a structured environment during the summer while exposing them to new experiences and opportunities they might not otherwise have.
The graduation concluded with team performances, cheers and awards celebrating the campers’ accomplishments, bringing to a close another year of the Pine Bluff Police Department’s youth mentorship program.
