New Phillies-theme PAL e-gaming room opens in Port Richmond
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Kids in Philadelphia now have another safe place to have fun this summer. A new e-gaming room opened in Port Richmond, where kids can bond over video games.
The Phillies Phanatic, along with Philadelphia police and other officials, were on hand for the grand opening of a new e-gaming room at the 24th District Police Athletic League in Port Richmond.
Natalie Erickson said she was excited when she walked into the room for the first time.
After months of renovations, what was once a storage room has now been transformed into a fun place for kids to play video games, complete with PlayStations, XBoxes, computers, and TVs.
"It's a great time to spend instead of being outside," Demetris Brown said. "Sometimes it's dangerous neighborhoods but here it's really nice."
April Thomas-Jones, Executive Director for the Police Athletic League, said the e-gaming room will help keep kids off the street.
We unveiled a brand new e-gaming room at the 24th PAL Center today!
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 21, 2023
As part of the Fall Classic Legacy initiative, the new room includes gaming consoles donated by MLB, smart TVs, gaming monitors, and more. pic.twitter.com/fI4R3plnvq
"Violence does go up in the summer and right now, Philly is struggling with a gun epidemic," she said. "And what we're doing as a collaborative effort is making safe hubs and safe spaces for our kids that go all day, if they like."
There's also an educational component. The kids get to take part in the Police Athletic League's science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM program.
"The kids will learn a little bit about coding," Thomas-Jones said. "They're going to learn about the science behind gaming."
The e-gaming room has a Phillies theme.
Phillies Charities and Major League Baseball contributed $50,000 toward this project as part of the league's fall classic legacy initiative.
RELATED: Phillies donate to build new e-gaming room for kids
"It means a lot. They care about us," Nieem Gregory said. "They actually do stuff that we would enjoy. They took the time to build all this."
The Police Athletic League (PAL) is hoping to open more e-gaming rooms at other centers throughout the city.