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Lincoln Challenge Academy helps prepare high school dropouts for success

During a City Club of Chicago panel on Tuesday, leaders from the Illinois National Guard’s Lincoln Challenge Academy spoke about their efforts to help at-risk youths and high school dropouts receive diplomas or GEDs.

In 1991, then-Adjutant General of Illinois Donald Lynn decided to launch a statewide youth involvement program to help lower Illinois’ high school dropout rate. Two years later he started the Lincoln’s Challenge Program with funding from the National Guard Bureau. The program began as a one year youth intervention pilot program in Illinois and nine other states. It aimed to recruit troubled youth and dropouts between the ages of 16 and 18 and teach those individuals self-discipline so they could achieve academic success and learn job skills.

Now called the Lincoln’s Challenge Academy, the program has produced 14,230 graduates since its inception.

“The success rate in these students is unbelievable,” Lynn told the City Club audience on Tuesday. “This is the greatest thing I’ve done in my life, and I’ve done a lot of things.”

Located in Rantoul, the Illinois Lincoln’s Challenge Academy is the largest single site academy in the Lincoln’s Challenge program.

On Tuesday, Brigadier General William Cobetto said the academy will soon move to a brand new facility.

“When we took over the facilities at Rantoul in ’93, they were pretty old,” he explained. “Thanks to the support of the General Assembly, they’ve been kind enough to help fund a new facility.”

In addition to state funding, Colonel Stephen Baggerly explained that LCA receives support from organizations and local nonprofits in the form of scholarships for its cadets.

Program Director Peter Thomas encouraged the audience to become advocates and spread the word about the work being done at National Guard’s Lincoln Challenge Academy.

“Your retirement depends on who we have behind us, coming forward to take our places,” Thomas said. “Let’s get behind it. Let’s move forward!”

-Katie Cliff