ChalleNGe Academy Puts Troubled Teens on Path to Success

One of West Virginia’s most successful youth programs, the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy, is about to get better thanks to a new $12 million facility for which we broke ground this week.

The West Virginia Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy in Kingwood is part of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. Its mission is to train and mentor at-risk youth so they can become contributing members of our society.

The Academy teaches eight core components to becoming responsible citizens, including job skills, fitness and life-coping skills, in a 22-week, military style environment.

The more visits I pay to the ChalleNGe Academy, the more I am moved by the work ethic the program’s participants learn and the dramatic transformation that takes place among them. This new facility will do more than accommodate cadets; it will truly help to change their lives and I know it will continue to make a positive difference for the entire state. 

The money we’re investing will pay a return we cannot measure in dollars: Putting a young person who strayed from a path toward academics and productivity back into our society equipped with job skills, a new attitude, and a sense of purpose. The ChalleNGe Academy has been a golden opportunity for many teens, providing a highly structured training environment that has given them a second chance to reach their fullest potential.

The families of these at risk teens, too, have benefited by worrying less about how their loved ones would find a way to turn their life around. 
 
The Mountain State has long reaped benefits from the commitment of ChalleNGe graduates. Many have gone on to provide for our nation’s defense; some have put their applied talents to use by entering the construction trades, and some are making significant contributions in the health care and energy industries.
 
I applaud the teens who have decided to stay the course and complete the ChalleNGe Academy.   Every teen we put on a successful path is one more productive citizen of West Virginia and our nation. 

I sincerely thank Adjutant General Allen Tackett and the West Virginia National Guard, Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy director Hugh Dopson and squad leaders, teachers, staff members, mentors and all of the contributors for their dedication that has allowed this program to flourish.  

For more information on the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy, call (800) 529-7700.