Lincoln’s Challenge Academy To Get Upgrade

Over the weekend, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn unveiled a major expansion of Rantoul’s Lincoln’s Challenge Academy, a program for youth who have dropped out of high school.

The $32 million project five new buildings that include additional classroom space, a library and athletic facility.

During a visit Saturday to Lincoln’s Challenge Academy, Gov. Quinn stressed the importance of continuing the mission of the program.

“Graduates of this challenge academy have served in Iraq and Afghanistan Some have not come home," Quinn said. "They are our heroes. I’ve gone to their funeral, and I know the kind of education that they received here, the kind of discipline and team work, and devotion and patriotism that they received here.”

Participants in Lincoln’s Challenge go through a rigorous 22-week program that resembles military boot camp, and they are then paired with mentors in their communities.It is run by the Illinois National Guard.

Funding for the expansion comes from the state’s job investment program, and construction is set to wrap up in a couple of years.