Purdue Today

PALS program a labor of love for Kim Lehnen

For Kim Lehnen, June 13 through July 13 is perhaps the busiest -- but most enjoyable -- time she'll experience this year.

As co-director of the Purdue Athletes Life Success (PALS) program, Lehnen carries camp-related responsibilities that begin at 7 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. In addition to helping supervise the 516 children -- all ages 8-14 -- who are attending this year, Lehnen doles out discipline when necessary, directs the program's team leaders and makes sure everything is going smoothly during the four-week camp.

This year marks the 11th annual PALS program, which is designed to help local underserved children stay active, make new friends and build positive attitudes. Programming revolves around the themes of kindness, fairness, courage and service.

During the program, campers are broken up into 24 teams. Each team is assigned two team leaders, most of whom are Purdue students. Throughout the day, team leaders escort their charges to six separate stations, where instructors -- also primarily Purdue students -- teach activities such as soccer, softball, basketball, swimming, art and computer use.

For Lehnen, the camp also has become a family affair: Her elder daughter, a high school student, is working as a staff member, and her younger daughter, a middle school student, is attending as a camper.

"We are trying to teach life skills to all of the kids, so that they can be successful in the long run," says Lehnen, an operations assistant in the Department of Health and Kinesiology. "Even though we teach sports, the whole purpose of this camp is to teach the campers how to be kind to others, how to be generous and how to give back to others. We also really emphasize the importance of service."

This year, service has been emphasized through activities such as food and clothing drives for those who live in the Lafayette area, Lehnen says. Instructors also help the children learn about healthy living by teaching them good eating habits and incorporating long walks into the program.

Lehnen's involvement isn't limited to the four weeks the camp lasts, however. Each year, along with fellow co-director Bill Harper -- who is a professor of health and kinesiology -- she begins work in January to secure the facilities the camp will use, ensure that the proper equipment is available, plan appropriate sports and activities, process campers' applications and arrange the campers into groups.

It's a lot of work, Lehnen says, but the greater good the camp achieves is worth the effort. Especially, she says, when she makes personal connections with some of the campers -- and watches them grow healthier and happier over the course of several years.

"There are several kids that I remember meeting as campers. I've watched them grow from 8 years old into one of our team leaders. Every year, I get goose bumps on the first day of camp because of experiences like that," Lehnen says.

"To me, the camp is providing an invaluable service to local kids. We get the kids away from the TV and video games during the summer, when they might otherwise get no physical activity. We teach them valuable lessons that they can use for their whole lives. For us, this is truly about helping the kids in any way we can."