National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Project

Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy

West Virginia

The mission of the West Virginia Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy is to train and mentor selected at-risk youth to become contributing members of society using the 8 Core Components in a quasi-military environment during a 22-week residential and one year follow-up Post-Residential program.

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MCA Teams With Wal-Mart Foundation

Submitted by wvadmin on Tue, 02/10/2009 - 14:55.

Two MCA graduates benefit from Wal-Mart Foundation support

Kingwood, WV- The Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy is honored to announce that a vocational scholarship has been awarded to program graduate, Benjamin Mitchell.  The scholarship, made possible by a grant from the Wal-Mart Foundaton, will allow Benjamin Mitchell to continue his educational and job training through vocational programs in West Virginia.

The Wal-Mart Foundation contributed $250,000 to support the vocational education efforts of 132 National Guard Youth Challenge graduates from 33 programs in 27 states plus Puerto Rico. Sixty-six (66) of those scholarships have recently been awarded.  An additional sixty-six (66) scholarships will be awarded in June '09.

"We are honored to have the support of the Wal-Mart Foundation," said Lt. Gen. (Ret) John B. Conaway (USAF), Chairman of the National Guard Youth Foundatoin.  "Wal-Mart's support will allow National Guard Youth Challenge program graduates to continue their education at vocational institutions across the country."

The Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy is located at Camp Dawson in Kingwood, West Virginia and works with youth at-risk of not graduating from high schoolduring a 5 1/2 month resiential and 12 month non-residential mentoring program to provide education, life and job skills.

"The National Guard Youth Challenge Program has given many of America's youth a second chance," said Margaret McKenna, president of the Wal-Mart Foundation. "Wal-Mart is honored to do our part to help these students gain the necessary job skills and technical training to enter the 21st century workforce."