Peer Assistance and Leadership is hosting a board game donation drive until Friday with all games donated to local elementary school students. Students can get up to two volunteer hours per board game and they can drop them off at the library or in the room (C138) of PALS sponsor David Barr.

“The board game drive was an event we created where students can donate new or used board games and get volunteer hours,”  PALS’ Saba Mahmood said. “The games should be for kids 10 and younger and playable. We use these board games with our PALees over at Anderson Elementary and any extra board games are donated.”

Junior Neha Lakka is proud of the progress they have made in collecting nearly two dozen board games and looks forward to seeing the kids every week beginning the second nine weeks.

“The best part about being in this program is meeting new people and working with the kids,” Lakka said. “We have a board game drive currently, where we collect board games to play with the kids at the elementary school. We’ve collected over 20 board games so far, which I think is very good progress.”

PALs sponsor David Barr hopes the students in the program will feel they are in a safe environment once they grow up to attend high school, as they are already being connected to the students who are assisting them.

“The primary function of PALS is that we pair up with students at Anderson Elementary school who their counselors and teachers have identified would benefit from having an older mentor or someone who can just take some time from their day to chill and engage with the kids,” Barr said. “It’s not much of an academic function, but more like a time in a safe, fun, emotional social setting where the kids can really just connect with somebody.”

Though PALs is a nationwide program that has been around since the 1980s, this is the second year for the program on campus.

“At PALs, we are committed to creating a comfortable environment for the students and staff here at Liberty,” Mahmood said. “We do projects and events that make school more fun and outside of hosting events we mentor kids at Anderson Elementary, basically giving them a PAL to be friends with and just be comfortable. “