295 Cadets to Graduate with GED June 15 at Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, IL (06/12/2013)(readMedia)-- Listening to Lincoln's Challenge Cadets talk about their experience in the structured, quasi-military academy in Rantoul, Ill., a common theme emerges from the nearly 300 young men and women who are about to graduate June 15.

"This place saved my live," said Cadet Javier Campos, 18, from Grayslake, Ill.

"If I didn't complete this, I know I wouldn't complete anything else in life," said Cadet Erin Keegan, 17, of Downers Grove, Ill., and the salutatorian of the class graduating on June 15.

Lincoln's Challenge Academy (LCA) is an Illinois National Guard-administered launching platform for Illinois' at-risk youth that provides Cadets with essential life skills and educational requirements to be successful in today's society. Since LCA began in 1993 as a pilot program, more than 13,000 Cadets have graduated with more than 75 percent earning a GED, making it the most successful Youth Challenge program in the nation.

While both Campos and Keegan said the 22-week residential phase of LCA has given them renewed confidence and instilled improved self-discipline and work ethic, they acknowledge the program is not for everyone.

"This program doesn't work for 100 percent of people, but those few people that take everything to heart and that listen and that learn, they will go places," said Campos.

Keegan, who scored a 3,800 out of 4,000 on the GED exam, the second highest score ever for an LCA Cadet, said being successful at LCA depends on the individual.

"A few things play into it. First is personality and how the individual's personality fits with the military lifestyle. Second is your willingness to change," said Keegan.

LCA is completely voluntary and Cadets can quit the program at any time. Cadets come from different backgrounds, from 115 communities across the state, and for various reasons.

Campos said he was estranged from his mother, living on his own, and performing poorly in school when his Grayslake Central High School dean arranged a meeting with his mother in the dean's office to suggest LCA as an option to get Campos back on track.

"He sat us down to talk and I asked my mother if we could forgive each other. It didn't work out and she left," said Campos. "I sat there in shock. I broke down and felt like I had nobody. The dean said 'you need to trust me, this is something you need to do.'"

Other Cadets were good students and involved in their high school, but strained relationships with their parents led them to LCA.

"When I found out my mom made the decision to send me to Lincoln's Challenge, all I could think about was my Downers Grove South High School teachers and my friends, my cap and gown, my class ring," said Keegan. "To not get to walk across the stage and receive my diploma, to leave that behind was hard. Now, I know it was the right choice. Without LCA I couldn't have learned what I've learned-self discipline-but I still miss Downers Grove South."

If the Cadets had found life to be a challenge before LCA, the challenge that awaited them at the academy proved to be cathartic.

"It was a shock. I had seen military situations on TV and, before I got here, I thought 'I'm big stuff, this will be easy." said Campos. "I was confronted with not only physical challenges, but also emotional challenges. The Cadre tell you how it is. They've been through what we've been through. They're honest and you can relate to them."

During the residential phase Cadets get a $10 per week allowance and, like most high schools, have an array of extracurricular opportunities including yearbook, student council, intramural sports, chorus and band. After the residential phase, the 12-month post-resident phase pairs the Cadets with mentors in their communities to provide positive, continued support. On average, after graduation 49 percent of Cadets go on to get jobs, 34 percent attend college, 12 percent join the military and 5 percent pursue other opportunities.

Keegan plans to study creative writing and performing arts at North Central College in Naperville, Ill. Campos plans to enlist in the Marine Corps and specialize in military intelligence.

Both said they would recommend LCA to young people they see fit.

"Definitely," said Keegan. "I made the right choice. Staying at home I wouldn't have gained the necessary skills for the real world...self-discipline, time management, motivation for life. My habits are much better than they used to be."

Approximately 295 Cadets will graduate from the 40th Lincoln's Challenge Academy class June 15 at 11 a.m. at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield.

Pick up your copy of Catacomb Fires, now available on Bandcamp and through Maximum Ames Records.

The United States remains the world's No. 1 international travel destination with 56 million visitors a year, but Spain, Germany, France and Italy rank No. 2, 3, 4 and 5, according to the 2012-13 ITB World Travel Trends Report.

Americans are helping drive those numbers. In a December USA Today/Gallup Poll, nearly a third said that if money were no object, they'd be off to Europe this year.

"There is so much to see and experience in Europe! If you've never been, or you've only visited once or twice, you really should put it on your wish list," says Ruth Yunker, an intrepid traveler and author of "Paris, I've Grown Accustomed to Your Ways," (www.ruthyunker.com), a humorous recounting of her extended stays in Paris as part-time resident, part-time tourist.

"When I travel to a foreign country I automatically strive to be the best American I can be, an American who is willing to learn to do things the locals' way. This will always make for a more rewarding experience. You'll find the people are friendlier. The vibe is positive. You are trying to live the culture instead of simply viewing it as a spectator."

Standing out in a European country - or any country you're visiting - could make for  unnecessarily uncomfortable situations. It can get in the way of enjoying a city the way the natives do. It can mark you as easy prey for pickpockets (hold your purses tight)and cabbies with whose rates might go up (use the metro!).

"Learn what you can about a country's habits, pet peeves, ingrained ways of being, before you go. Travel books can be helpful, but the following are a few tips not often mentioned," Ruth Yunker says.

• Fanny packs are disgusting little monsters which look ridiculous. Leave them at home, unless you want to scream 'oblivious tourist'! If you're going that route because you think it's safer than carrying a purse or wallet, then there are other ways to go. I always carry a large shoulder purse because it fits everything I'll need during the day, including whatever valuables I want to keep close. I carry it clutched tightly to my body. I observe the local women, and carry my purse like they carry theirs.

• Leave the garish running shoes behind, as well. Bright athletic shoes say "Tourist!" -like nothing else. Europeans simply do not wear these shoes going about their daily business. If you must wear sneakers, wear dark ones that will attempt to masquerade as regular closed-toed shoes. In fact you will be given an A for effort. Try to find comfortable walking shoes with a little bit of style and your feet will announce you as the polite, indeed savvy, visitor. It's good to be considered a savvy visitor, n'est pas?!

• Keep your voice down in restaurants and other public places. As a group, especially in a group, Americans tend to be louder than they think they are.And particularly in Paris, people keep their voices down. Consider how annoying it is when you're seated next to a raucous group in a restaurant here in the United States. Youcan get a sense of how annoying loud voices are to people accustomed to quieter tones.

Other things to consider:

"Look up the customs on tipping in the country you're visiting. For instance, tips are not expected in Parisian restaurants. In fact tipping a waiter there simply brands the unaware tourist as a stupid one. Not for me to be considered the oblivious tourist!" says Ruth Yunker.

"Try to learn what you can about manners where you'll be visiting," she says. "When I was in Paris, I learned making direct eye contact out on the sidewalk with a stranger was a flagrant disregard of manners - even on that day I most needed a hug!"

About Ruth Yunker

Ruth Yunker is an author, humorist, columnist, blogger and enthusiastic traveler. Her peripatetic childhood led to a life always on the move; she has lived all over the United States, from Boston to Los Angeles, Brussels, Belgium and, for a short time, Paris. Her first book, "Me, Myself & Paris," recounts her first experiences as a single woman living alone in Paris for three six-week stints. Her newest book, "Paris, I've Grown Accustomed to Your Ways," continues the saga from a more City of Light-experienced perspective.

DES MOINES, IA (06/12/2013)(readMedia)-- It's sure to be the "Grandest Show Around," as the Blue Ribbon Foundation plays host to the seventeenth annual Corndog Kickoff Benefit Auction and Fair Food Grazing Party on Saturday, July 13 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Doors to the William C. Knapp Varied Industries Building will open at 6:30 p.m. for a night filled with exciting auction packages, entertainment and all of your favorite Fair foods; all while helping raise funds to restore the historic Iowa State Fairgrounds!

Nearly 200 enticing auction packages fill the live and silent auctions. See the finest in sprint car racing with four passes to the Knoxville Nationals, August 7-10. Experience a private tour for eight of the Quilted Gardens, an elaborate nursery filled with unique plantings, while sampling a selection of craft beers and hors d'oeuvres. Or, take home a beautiful heirloom quality grandfather's clock handmade from native Iowa red oak.

The Corndog Kickoff has been a pre-fair tradition since it began in 1997. First held in Pioneer Hall, 480 people were in attendance. Since then, the event has grown to raise more than $2.7 million for the restoration and preservation of the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The 2012 event brought in a crowd of 1,400 and raised a record high of $350,000!

"We are excited to grow our event each year and get more people involved in our pre-Fair tradition," said John Putney, executive director of the Blue Ribbon Foundation. "The Kickoff is the Foundation's largest annual fundraising event and we are grateful for the support to continue our mission of restoring and preserving our historic Fairgrounds."

Take advantage of the advance ticket price by ordering now. All inclusive Corndog Kickoff tickets are $75 each until June 30. After that date, tickets will be $100. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Blue Ribbon Foundation at (800) 450-3732, online at www.blueribbonfoundation.org or at the door the night of the event.

The Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Since its inception in 1993, the Foundation has generated more than $95 million for renovations and improvements to the Iowa State Fairgrounds. For more information on the Corndog Kickoff, please contact the Foundation at (800) 450-3732 or bluerf@blueribbonfoundation.org.

###