Hoosier Youth Challence Academy Announces Graduation of its Second Class

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger is pleased to announce that Lt. Gen. John B. Conaway, Former Chief of National Guard Bureau and Chairman of the National Youth Foundation, will be the Keynote Speaker at the graduation ceremony of the second class from  the Hoosier Youth ChalleNGe Academy, a division of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program.     

The graduation ceremony will be conducted at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, June 21, 2008, at the Community Church of Greenwood, 1477 West Main Street, Greenwood, Ind. 

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, a voluntary, preventive program designed to give at-risk youth a second chance, began in 1993. This class of fifty-four cadets is the second class to graduate from the residential phase of the new Indiana program, which began on July 8, 2007.  

“We are excited to see our second group of cadets graduate with a focus on becoming productive young citizens of Indiana. The academy would not have been possible without the great support of Governor Mitch Daniels, the State Budget Committee and the State Legislators,” stated Maj. Gen. Umbarger, The Adjutant General for Indiana. “After visiting the academy several times during this class, it is rewarding each time to see the growth and changes in the cadets since starting the program.  They have grown in so many ways that I think they amaze themselves with what they have been able to accomplish.”   

The 17 ½ month volunteer program has three phases, the first two of which are in residence in a “quasi-military” environment at the Academy. The five and a half month residential phases provide training for the cadets in the program’s eight core components: Academic Excellence (with objective of obtaining a GED), Life Coping Skills, Job Skills, Service to Community, Physical Fitness, Health and Hygiene, Leadership/Followership, and Responsible Citizenship. 

“These cadets have gained respect, values, discipline and focus while here at the academy” stated Colonel (Retired) Wayne Hill, Director of the Hoosier Youth ChalleNGe Academy. “They learned to live by a cadet creed while here, which if they continue, will assist them in becoming productive citizens of Indiana.  As these youth have become young ladies and gentlemen, they have earned the respect of their friends, families and myself.  On June 21, 2008, I will be proud to present this graduating class of young men and women to the State of Indiana.” 

The Academy would like to invite the public to attend this very special occasion honoring its second class of cadets. For more information on the graduation or on the program, call 812-314-8201 or visit www.ngycp.org/in.

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