SPRINGFIELD, IL (12/10/2013)(readMedia)-- WHO:
• 303 Lincoln's Challenge Academy (LCA) cadets
WHAT:
• Graduating from the academy, many receiving General Education Diplomas
• Scholarships being awarded
WHEN:
• Dec. 15 at 11 a.m.
WHERE:
• Prairie Capitol Convention Center, 1 Convention City Plaza, Springfield, Ill.
WHY:
• Lincoln's Challenge Academy celebrated its 20th anniversary in July 2013. Lincoln's Challenge is the largest single site program in the U.S. and among the most successful with 13,694 graduates since 1993.
• Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. John (Jay) Sheedy, former Illinois National Guard Assistant Adjutant General-Air, is scheduled to be the guest speaker
• LCA is a program for 16 to 18-year-old at-risk youths
• The academy's curriculum consists of a 22-week residential phase where cadets experience a quasi-military modeled training program, followed by a post-residential mentoring phase which includes the cadet's goals and objectives and their planned placement activities following graduation.
• The academy is based on a foundation of eight core components that use discipline, structure and mentoring to enhance life skills and employment potential
