WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Even more children will benefit from Purdue University’s award-winning Purdue Athletes Life Success Program this summer as the camp, its activities and its support keeps growing.

More than 400 children will attend the June 18 through July 17 program also known as PALS. Last year more than 350 children attended, and this year’s program has a waiting list. The camp, for children 8-14, is free for the participants, who are selected based on referrals from local schools.

Drew Brees visits with campers at Purdue's 2007 National Youth Sports Program. The program, which is now known as Purdue Athletes Life Success Program, continues to grow with more than 400 campers. Camp activities focus on fitness, sports, financial literacy, stress management and nutrition. (Purdue University file photo/David Umberger)

“This program began seven years ago as a way to encourage children to embrace a healthy lifestyle through sports and athletics, but now it is about much more,” says Bill Harper, camp director and professor and head of the Department of Health and Kinesiology.

“Fitness is still the foundation of our program, and that’s why we space activity stations apart so campers are guaranteed 70 minutes of walking a day, and this year we will be using pedometers as well. But we also want these youngsters to be successful in all areas of life, so we offer a range of activities including units on computers, stress management, nutrition and financial literacy. We also are adding orchestra, specifically a violin unit, to this year’s program.

“But, the beauty of what we can offer these children has evolved because the local funding base and community support keeps growing. For example, Alcoa is providing pedometers for the children, and the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra is sharing its violins and instructors.”

PALS, formerly the National Youth Sports Program, changed its name last summer, thanks to support from Drew Brees’ The Brees Dream Foundation and Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union, which is known as PEFCU.

The former Boilermaker All-America quarterback, current quarterback for the New Orleans Saints and PEFCU spokesperson, has visited the camp annually since 2003. His visit to the camp this year is sponsored by PEFCU as part of its emphasis to support local youth.

PEFCU also supports the camp unit on financial literacy. PEFCU employees, who work with many classrooms during the school year on financial wellness topics, teach this course.

Before the name change, the national program honored Purdue’s camps for its achievements, including being named best new program in 2002 and special recognition for its 2004 and 2005 programs. This year the American Heart Association will honor Harper with the Cor Vitae Award for enhancing the community through innovation, philanthropy, vision and leadership.

The National Youth Sports Program began in 1969, and in 2005 there were more than 200 programs nationwide. However, the program’s federal funding was reduced, and in 2006 Purdue’s program was one 56 in the nation to receive partial funding. Federal funding was withdrawn from all National Youth Sports Programs in 2007, but Purdue’s camp successfully continued through university and private donor support.

More than 1,000 children have attended since the camp began in 2002. The students, in teams of 15, rotate through activity stations that include basketball, swimming, soccer and volleyball. The older campers get to participate in yoga, flag football, judo and table tennis.

Purdue researchers in the Department of Health and Kinesiology also are studying how participation in the camp benefits children by measuring their physical fitness, academic achievement and social relationships year round. Harper says many children often lose weight during camp, and anecdotal evidence from the local schools shows that participation in the camp has a significant positive effect on education, attitudes and sportsmanship.

The Department of Health and Kinesiology is housed in the College of Liberal Arts. The camp also has received assistance from Purdue’s Office of the Provost, Recreational Sports Facilities, Residence Halls, Information Technology at Purdue, Purdue University Student Health Center and the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Good money management is an essential life skill. That’s why Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union (PEFCU) partnered with Purdue Athletes Life Success Program (PALS) to provide financial literacy content and activities during this year’s camp.

Campers Use Computers to Practice Life SkillsPEFCU Collections Manager Dana Smith helps a camper create her computer persona and practice the money management skills learned earlier in the week.(Photo by Nicole Thompson)

“Whether we like it or not, economics has become the foundation of our entire culture,” said Bill Harper, PALS director. “Kids typically are not exposed to the complications of handling money or differentiating between wants and needs. This is an opportunity to introduce kids to the reality of life in an informal setting.”

On the final day of the four-week camp, the children applied the money management knowledge they had gained over the previous two days to age-based life-skills activities. The younger campers each received a $100 “paycheck,” which they had to deposit into the “credit union”. Then they used a checkbook register to balance their “checking accounts” according to choices they made individually between low-priced, mid-priced and high-priced vehicles, food and pets as well as unexpected emergencies.

The older campers took this activity to the next level using a computer-based program. Based on their individual interests and chosen level of education, the computer generated a career and salary for each camper. Then they chose to purchase insurance, homes, vehicles, meals and so on at different price levels. They also had to “visit” their financial institution in order to pay off debts like mortgages, credit cards and student loans. During the game, each camper could see his/her monthly income as well as balances on savings and debts.

“This [computer] game is fun and I’d like to play it,” said Jill Freeland, PALS counselor. “The kids have already learned so much about savings and they’ve told me how they’re going to save at home. They’re very excited about all they can do with money.”

In addition to its partnership with PALS, PEFCU works with local schools and organizations to teach money management skills to area youth throughout the year. “By teaching and helping children develop healthy financial habits now, they will be better prepared for the future,” said Carolyn Barrett, PEFCU financial literacy coordinator.

For more information about ways PEFCU helps organizations or schools meet financial literacy goals, please contact Carolyn Barrett at 765.497.7409.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Father’s Day weekend was extra special this year for several fathers and sons who participated in the 2nd Annual Brees Dream Foundation Golf Outing presented by Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union (PEFCU). On Saturday, June 14, they were part of the more than 200 golfers, celebrities and spectators who descended on the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex for the all-day fundraiser benefiting the Purdue Athletes Life Success Program (PALS).

PALS Receives $50,000
[Left to Right] PEFCU CEO Bill Connors, his spouse Lisa Connors, and Brees Dream Foundation Co-Founders Brittany and Drew Brees present a $50,000 donation to PALS Director Bill Harper. The donation was made possible by overwhelming public participation in the 2nd Annual Brees Dream Foundation Golf Outing presented by PEFCU.

Golfers from nine different states joined football celebrities Drew Brees, Bob DeMoss, Travis Dorsch, Bernie Flowers, Nick Hardwick, Mark Herrmann, Leroy Keyes, Kyle Orton and others on the course. Following golf was a cocktail reception where unique sports memorabilia were auctioned off with Brees serving as auctioneer. The event concluded with the presentation of a $50,000 check to PALS.

The foundation and PEFCU offer special thanks to this year’s golf outing partners Purdue Alumni Association and WLFI-TV 18, and sponsors including Fidelity National Information Systems—E Services; MEMBERS Financial Services/CUNA Mutual Group; Card Services for Credit Unions; TransUnion; NIKE, Inc.; Advantage Title, Inc.; Appraisals by John Nicholson; Arni’s Inc.; Automated Payroll Services; Burkhart Advertising, Inc.; Bruno’s Pizza; Follett’s Purdue Bookstores; Indiana Credit Union League; Kettelhut Construction, Inc.; Kirby Risk Electrical Supply; Lausch Photography; Mike Aulby’s Arrowhead Bowl; Mulhaupt’s Inc.; Schug Awards; Sign Experts; Subway; Tecton Construction Management; The Champion’s Centre; The Henriott Group; The National Group; VISA® and Wendy’s Restaurants.

Founded on the Purdue University campus in 1969, Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union (PEFCU) boasts assets exceeding $475 million and serves more than 56,000 members nationwide. The credit union is driven by superior member service and is dedicated to serving the Greater Lafayette community.

The Brees Dream Foundation was established in 2003 by Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany. The foundation helps in the fight to cure cancer, improve the quality of life for cancer patients, and promote the progress, success and education of youth through scholarship programs.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s award-winning National Youth Sports Program has a new name and partnership thanks to old friends, Drew Brees and Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union.

Drew Brees, quarterback for the New Orleans Saints and former Purdue University football player, visits with campers at Purdue’s 2007 National Youth Sports Program. (Purdue News Service file photo/David Umberger)

The camp will now be known as PALS, Purdue Athletes Life Success Program, and will benefit from its relationship with The Brees Dream Foundation and Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union, which is known as PEFCU. Brees and PEFCU are partnering to raise funds for PALS with a celebrity golf event on June 14 at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. Other former Purdue athletes attending the golf event include Kyle Orton, Bob DeMoss, Leroy Keyes, Mark Hermann and Nick Hardwick.

The Brees Dream Foundation and PEFCU have committed $50,000 from this event in each of the next five years to Purdue’s youth sports camp for underprivileged children, ages 10-16. Any additional funds raised from the golf outing will be distributed by the Brees Dream Foundation and PEFCU.

The former Boilermaker All-America quarterback, current quarterback for the New Orleans Saints and PEFCU spokesperson, has visited the camp annually since 2003 as part of PEFCU’s emphasis to support local youth. Funds from last year’s golf outing, presented by PEFCU, were donated to the Purdue program. This year’s camp is scheduled for June 12 through July 11, and Brees will visit the campers on June 13.

“Greater Lafayette is a generous community and I enjoy coming back each summer,” Drew Brees said. “I’m also grateful to have the opportunity to work with community-minded organizations like PEFCU and Purdue to benefit local children through my foundation.”

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