Erie's Police Athletic League has been busy mentoring kids around the area.

That work picked up this week with their boys and girls club camp

The four-day camp has grown a lot since it started. About 1,500 kids are a part of it this year.

The goal is for them to build relationships with police. Those officers want to push the kids to be their best selves.

They wrapped up the camp with an obstacle course at the former Blessed Sacrament School Thursday. 

“Sometimes I hear them say ‘I can’t.’ But we convince them that they can. The whole idea is to finish the obstacle course and to work as a team,” Ret. Sgt. Robert McDonald said. 

The league's work isn't done yet. They will have more camps throughout the summer. 

The next one is their Junior Police Cadet Camp.