“It keeps me busy” Buffalo PAL students raise money at Braymiller Market

BUFFALO, NY — Friday at Braymiller Market, students from the Buffalo Police Athletic League (PAL) greeted and checked on customers to raise money for their Camp Champs Round Up campaign. Buffalo PAL aims to raise $40,000 to provide students with free programming during the summer.

“When children don’t go to school, they tend to lose some of the knowledge they acquired during the school year. Our camps and clinics offer them the opportunity to participate in educational and physical programs. They are having a good time. with their friends and we keep them in a safe environment,” said Nekia Kemp, executive director of PAL.

Through June 30, Braymiller Market is encouraging customers to round up their shopping totals to support PAL’s fundraising efforts.

Last year, the downtown market faced financial challenges, but with help from the city and Ciminelli, it received $1 million to offset COVID-related losses.

“It gave us a lifeline because of the setbacks we had early on and we still have a long way to go, but we still need everyone’s support,” said Stuart Green, owner of Braymiller Market.

Green and his team want to help an organization like others have helped them.

“PAL is a great program for kids when it’s summer and they need to be busy,” Green said.

PAL students had a great time participating as “celebrity assistants” on Friday, with one student, Tyanna Kemp, sharing that PAL programming keeps her busy and engaged during the summer,

“I was a junior cashier, like asking them how their day was or if they’d like to grab a bag or if they’d like to make a donation for camp, telling them their total and stuff like that,” said said Tyanna Kemp.

Kemp tells 7 News PAL programming gives kids something to look forward to.

“It keeps me busy so I’m not going to sit around all day watching TV,” Kemp said.

You can learn more about PAL here.