LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - For 24 years, Youth ChalleNGe cadets have made their mark across the nation with their Service to Community component during the residential phase of the program.
This year, cadet leaders decided to celebrate a National Day of Service to highlight the phenomenal contributions cadets are making to society as responsible, productive youth.
"To mark the date the program was signed into law in 1992, we selected Oct. 23 as the date we'd showcase the cadets' hard work," said Kim Folsom-Kuster, National Youth ChalleNGe Program Manager at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia. "It's quite impressive that almost all 40 Youth ChalleNGe academies conduct Service to Community throughout the program cycle - usually 80 hours per cadet."
This year, more than half of these Youth ChalleNGe academies collaborated to have #ChalleNGe4ChaNGe social media posts on Oct. 23. That date was chosen because former president George H.W. Bush signed legislation establishing the ChalleNGe program on that date in 1992.
From restoring wetlands to feeding the homeless and donating blood, each cadet contributed in a positive way to his or her respective communities.
Completing a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program is a transformative experience. Cadets all enter the program voluntarily, but bring with them with a variety of motivations: to make up school credits, get "cool" military training or earn a second chance after burning bridges with behavioral problems, to name a few.
The ChalleNGe cadre and staff, though, aren't just interested in the cadets' personal goals: They set out to change cadets' whole outlook, and giving back to their communities is part of that transformative process.
"Cadets become motivated during the ChalleNGe program to become better citizens, and service to community is part of that eye-opening experience," said Air Force Lt. Col. Denise Varner, director of the Sunburst Youth ChalleNGe Academy in Los Alamitos, California. "This is the first opportunity that many of our cadets have had to do something positive in their community and reap the rewards – reap the gratitude of their neighbors – which further instills their desire to help others."
The 40 ChalleNGe programs in 30 states and territories welcome high school dropouts and at-risk teens for a 22-week residential program that promotes the values of discipline, hard work, academic excellence and caring for the community. Service to community is a vital part of each cadet's growth, and every cadet contributes at least 40 hours during the ChalleNGe program's residential phase.
The Oregon National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program kicked off this year's National Day of Service by coordinating a blood drive with the local chapter of the American Red Cross. "Prior to the event, the cadets set a goal of 126 units for the class," says Oregon's program director, Dan Radabaugh. Over the two-day event, the cadets ended up donating 137 units (59 double red and 78 whole blood). "Many of the cadets were first-time donors and a little nervous. However, the majority of them said they will continue to donate blood to the American Red Cross after they graduate from the Youth ChalleNGe Program."
Cadets at the Puerto Rico ChalleNGe Academy volunteered to perform maintenance, gardening and painting at public schools, municipal facilities and low-income elderly families' homes, and they have spent quality time at a children's home.
"Out of all of the community service activities, the one I most enjoyed was at the homes of the elderly people," said cadet Kevin Morales Alejandro. "Besides the help [we gave them], seeing the happiness in their faces as we danced, sang and played dominoes with them, it just filled me with joy. It's an experience that I would repeat over and over again."
Alejandro's experience was just one of thousands like it in October for cadets in ChalleNGe programs all over the country, which organized the ChalleNGe program's inaugural National Day of Service this year. The nationwide push was the idea of Sunburst's Warrant Officer 1 (CA) Rochelle Sonza, who said she wants to bring attention to the good work the ChalleNGe program is doing, both for communities and cadets.
"We want to shine a light on how these kids give back, because service alone changes communities, and it changes the kids to know they are doing something good," said Sonza, Sunburst's community outreach coordinator. "Every service we do stems from compassion, and there is meaning behind it so the kids can walk away understanding who they are helping and the impact they are making, and how to 'be the change' for their community simply by caring."
Establishing a ChalleNGe National Day of Service, similar to the law enforcement community's National Night Out, will hopefully generate enough awareness that people outside the program will recognize Oct. 23 as the ChalleNGe Day of Service in years to come, she said.
New cadets don't fully understand the value in performing service until they actually get into the community and do it. But once they pitch in to help others, they end up loving the experience.
"[Service to community] made me realize that some people have it worse off than others, and there are also people who are willing to help, which is really a great thing," said cadet Garrett Wise, 16, from the Arkansas ChalleNGe Academy. He recently helped at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. "It made me want to help where I can and do as much as I possibly can, and it made me have a good feeling about what we were doing."
The Florida Youth ChalleNGe Academy cadets not only assist the Florida National Guard with unloading equipment at Camp Blanding, but also contribute annually to the Veteran's Administration Medical Center's Festival in Lake City. Abby Vazquez, Florida Youth ChalleNGe Academy deputy director, said, "To brighten the spirits of many hospitalized veterans and their families brings a new level of happiness, especially when it reminds the community of their service and their sacrifice."