Retired U.S. Army Colonel John Wemlinger, Commandant of Cadets for the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy (MYCA), reported that this 18th MYCA class is one of the largest to complete the program after having one of the roughest starts in one of the coldest January's in history. "I have to admit I went a little easy on them after their first two weeks of surviving in the not-so-nice barracks at Fort Custer - but just a little easy - not enough to make them too comfortable," the Colonel said with a smile in his voice. "We usually manage to get 70% of the youth who start the program through that first two weeks and I wasn't about to see that lowered due to weather. So we added extra blankets and coats and got down to business. Now here they are stronger, smarter, tougher, more mature individuals as a reflection of their own hard work over the past five and a half months. Graduation is always my favorite day," Wemlinger concluded.

The MYCA is a second chance for high school dropouts or potential dropouts to shape a rewarding future for themselves. It isn't easy, and it isn't for everyone. These young people put in long days; in the classroom, in volunteer community service roles and in physical training. The MYCA Run team recently completed the Fifth-Third Bank's River 25K and ran the Detroit marathon last October. Some graduates return to high school to finish with previous classmates, others continue on to college and others enlist in the military serving their country and better preparing themselves for specialized occupations. Students of the program have received awards from Governor Granholm, spent time with First Gentleman Daniel Mulhern and visited with MSU Basketball coach Tom Izzo during a visit in 2006. The Youth ChalleNGe program is currently run in 29 states across America but the successes of Michigan students clearly put it as one of the top programs in the nation.

-END-