- January 29, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
Avery Randolph has spent his life building bridges.
For decades, the Police Athletic League's mission for youth was to "fill playgrounds, not prisons." That's what was in place at the national level when Ormond Beach founded its PAL program in 1996.
But Ormond Beach, Randolph said, didn't see the program that way.
"We wanted to build bridges to the next generation," he said. "So we ended up changing our model here in Ormond from 'filling playgrounds, not prisons,' to building these bridges — so that our youth in the community doesn't have to be afraid of coming in contact with police officers."
Randolph, who is OBPAL's athletic activities specialist, has worked for the city for 28 years. When he started working for the city, initially as an after school aid and tennis instructor for Leisure Services, he was a student at Bethune-Cookman University.
He had big dreams and big plans: The NFL.
Raised in Pahokee, a city on the banks of Lake Okeechobee, football was every young man's dream, Randolph said.
"If there's a young man out of Pahokee, Florida that tells you he didn't want to be a football player, they're lying," he said.
Mr. Randolph’s enthusiasm for youth is a tremendous benefit to the Ormond Beach community. He is dedicated to supporting OBPAL youth and often attends their sport events on his own time to cheer and support the team. ... Coach Avery’s knowledge and caring heart help him build trust with youth and families in Ormond Beach." — LISA MESSERSMITH, 2024 Standing O
But for Randolph, life took a different turn. He became a father at the age of 19, and didn't get a
chance to play college football, though he did play semi-pro football with the Daytona Speed for two seasons. That led to an opportunity to play arena football with the Orlando Predators — but a bad concussion made him reconsider. Physically, he said, he knew something had changed and he didn't want to risk his health further.
He joined OBPAL in 1998, two years after his daughter was born. At the time, he had been considering joining the military. Then he met his wife, and Randolph said he knew then he wasn't going anywhere.
"It became exciting," Randolph said. "The more I came to Ormond and the more I spent time with the young kids and the staff here in Ormond, even at the police department, I fell in love with Ormond and this area," Randolph said.
Shortly after starting working for OBPAL, Randolph began coordinating the basketball travel program, assisting with the Youth Leadership program and other OBPAL events. In 2016, he was honored by the Florida PAL program for his dedication to local youth and his enthusiasm as master of ceremonies for the Florida PAL cheerleading competition.
The Ormond Beach Police Department also honored him in 2023 as its Civilian of the Year.
OBPAL Director Lisa Messersmith, who was a 2024 Standing O nominee, said in a statement to the Observer that Randolph is always ready to help with any PAL or outreach activity — from OBPD's National Night Out to OBPAL's annual golf tournament.
"Mr. Randolph’s enthusiasm for youth is a tremendous benefit to the Ormond Beach community," she said. "He is dedicated to supporting OBPAL youth and often attends their sport events on his own time to cheer and support the team."
Coach Avery, as kids call him, is also well known at Ormond's schools.
"He visits students at their school to encourage them to continue to make positive decisions," Messersmith said. "He is a valued member of the PAL team and the Ormond Beach community. Coach Avery’s knowledge and caring heart help him build trust with youth and families in Ormond Beach."
It's those relationships with the community that has kept him working for OBPAL, Randolph said. They're his favorite thing about the job.
"I can say that the people of Ormond Beach treat me as family," he said. "I'm a household name in the Ormond Beach community, and it's a good thing. I try to do my best to uphold a standard and be truthful with the community and with their children."
He doesn't do it alone. Messersmith and the rest of the OBPAL team, as well as the leadership within the Ormond Beach Police Department have contributed to the program's success.
And the program's success is measured by the impact it has on the kids.
"I've seen some kids go off — they become great football players, great basketball players, doctors, lawyers, productive citizens," Randolph said. "But the most [impactful] thing is them coming back to the place where they grew up, and no matter where they are in life, they say 'Thank you, Coach Avery.' They say thank you with a hug, a kiss, an 'I love you.'"
OBPAL pours blood, sweat, tears and hours upon hours on the kids. If a mom calls in the early hours of the morning because her child is missing, and wants his help to find him, he gets out of bed and goes.
"These kids, they believe in me as a person, and I believe in them more," Randolph said.
That's what was instilled in him by his coaches, high school teachers and family members.
"I'm not different from anybody else," he said. "But it was God's intention to put me in the right place, and that was Ormond Beach."
He raised four children of his own right out of the South Ormond Neighborhood Center. That building, he said, has been a haven for him.
As it has been for the thousand of others that have come through it as well.
"We're still trying to build these bridges," Randolph said. "And we're hoping that nobody tears these bridges down. I think we're going to continue to build these bridges for as long as we possibly can — because it's needed. Everyone should be able to have the same opportunity."
