By JUSTIN SMITH | The Selma Times-Journal

The Selma Police Athletic League will begin its annual Summer Enrichment Basketball camp program Monday, June 5 at The Selma PAL’s athletic center.

The program will last a total of eighth weeks, Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost for the program is $50 a month per child. All children under the age of 14 are encouraged to participate.

“The program gives the kids something to do during the summer,” Selma Police Department detective Dorothy Cowan said. “They get the opportunity to interact and learn how to get along with one another.”

The program will start every morning with stretches and exercises to get the kids ready for the day ahead. At 9 a.m. the kids will participate in the Gang Resistance Education and Training program, GREAT, which is designed to give kid’s tips on how to avoid gangs and pursue an education.

Lunch will take place afterward. All food is going to be provided through the school’s free lunch program.

The athletic side of the camp will take place after the kids have eaten and gained all the nutrition that they need to compete. Basketball will be the main focus of the camp’s athletic program this summer.

Officers will come in and teach the kids about some of the fundamentals of basketball.

All of the kids are going to be broken down by groups according to age. There will also be a time during the day where the kids will be able to show off the fundamentals that they learned during the camp through a friendly game of basketball.

The camp will wrap up every day at 4 p.m.

One of the goals of the camp is to connect Selma Police Officers with members of the younger generation.

Through this program kids get the opportunity to know some of the officers on a personal level.

“This program allows kids to interact with officers and see them as someone that is willing to help them,” Cowan said. “They are told a lot by their parents and people around them that the police are going to get you; we are just trying to show them that we are not out to get them, we are only here to help.”