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PAL Friends & Fans,
I would like to take
this opportunity to introduce myself and give you some background
information on the Phoenixville Area Police Athletic League (PAL).
I am James E. Deoria,
President of the Phoenixville Area PAL. I am also a police officer with
the Schuylkill Township Police Department. I have been with this force
since 1991. Prior to the start of my career as a police officer, I
competed as an amateur boxer for eight years and fought professional for
six years.
During my amateur boxing
career, I fought in over 100 fights all over the country. I also competed
in numerous international bouts, including fights in Ireland and Canada.
As a professional, I competed in 26 fights and finished with a record of
20-6 with 10 knockouts. My career peaked in 1993, with a victory over Gene
Reed of Scranton, PA, for the PA State Lightweight Championship.
During my 14 year career
in the boxing world, I grew very fond of the sport. I realized that,
although I would not fight forever, I could help other kids who were
interested in the sport of boxing.
As my experience grew in
the role of police officer in the Phoenixville area, I began to think of a
way to combine my knowledge of both careers and give it back to the
community in which I have lived all my life. In early 1999, I looked into
starting a PAL chapter in the area by contacting the National PAL
headquarters in Florida and attending the Phoenixville Area Recreation
Board meeting in February. I proposed the start of a boxing program
through the start of a Police Athletic League Chapter, and asked the board
for approval to use a portion of their facility as the PAL boxing gym.
The board members
unanimously approved both the start of the program and the use of their
facility. After receiving donations from the local community, endorsements
from the three surrounding police departments and a charter from the
National PAL, the first Phoenixville Area PAL opened with its first
program - Boxing - on June 7, 1999.
Since the start of the
boxing program, well over 200 children between the ages of 10 - 21 have
participated. The boxing runs year round and the boxers train Monday
through Thursday between 5pm & 7:30pm at the Civic Center.
The boxing program was
just the beginning for our PAL chapter here in the Phoenixville area. We
currently have PAL boxing, wrestling, and billiards programs up and
running. PAL is currently working on initiating bowling, karate and a
babysitting club.
Unlike other programs in
our community, PAL offers a new dimension; a police officer. Studies have
shown that if a child respects a police officer on the ball field or in
the gym, he or she will likely come to respect the laws the officer
enforces.
All PAL programs are
free for children between the ages of 10 and 21. If you are
interested in our PAL program, please feel free to stop
down at the Civic Center, at 123 Main Street, Phoenixville or call
our office at (610) 917-3735
Very Sincerely
Yours,
Jim E. Deoria
PAL Executive Director
CHAMPION
REWARDED FOR CAREER
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