SHREVEPORT, La. – It was a special day for many families at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium as 197 cadets from across the state graduated from the Louisiana National Guard’s Camp Minden Youth ChalleNGe Program, Jan. 22. The ceremony also commemorated 100,000 YCP graduates nationwide.
Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Landreneau, adjutant general of the LANG, hosted the celebration. Louisiana was chosen to commemorate the milestone because it has one of the strongest YCP programs in the country, ran by Director Brig. Gen. Brod Veillon, LANG assistant adjutant general – Air, and is the only state with three campuses.
“YCP is an investment in the future of America,” said Gen. Craig R. McKinley in his speech to the young graduates. McKinley is chief of the National Guard Bureau.
According to McKinley, in 18-years YCP has grown to be one of the largest mentoring programs in the nation, second only to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu was also a guest speaker at the ceremony. She said YCP was created to help meet the needs of our society’s youth. The Guard took that need and turned it into opportunity.
"There was a gap in filling the needs of our young people, and the National Guard stepped in to help," said Landrieu. "That's what the Guard does; they see a need and they stand in the gap when no one else will."
Cadet Tori R. Walston from Lake Charles was named Cadet of the Cycle and will serve as ambassador of the 100,000 YCP graduates at a commemorative gala in Washington, D.C., in March.
Walston addressed her classmates, remembering their journey from “misguided adolescents” to “disciplined young adults” during the five-month residential phase of the program. The 16-year-old plans to attend McNeese State University in Lake Charles and join the Guard once she turns 17.
Five cadets, including Watson, each received a $1,000 scholarship to the college of their choice. The other recipients included: Anthony Burrell from Greensburg, Michael Mayo of Alexandria, Shawn Robertson from Baton Rouge and Austin Spooner of Moss Bluff. National defense contractor, BAE Systems also presented Landreneau with $10,000 in scholarship funds for each of Louisiana’s three YCP campuses. Approximately one in four YCP graduates goes on to college after graduating from YCP.
A group of cadets selected by their instructors were also treated to a meet-and-greet with two spokesmen from the National Guard Youth Foundation, WWE wrestler Kofi Kingston and J.R. Hildebrand, driver of the National Guard IndyCar.
For more information about the Louisiana National Guard’s Youth ChalleNGe Program call 1-800-CAMP-KID or visit http://www.ngycp.org/site/state/la/.
| Date Taken: |
01.22.2011 |
| Date Posted: |
01.24.2011 12:07 |
| Story ID: |
64115 |
| Location: |
SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: |
157 |
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0 |
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This work, Louisiana National Guard hosts milestone graduation for National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, by SGT Robin Carpenter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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