Show-Me Challenge doomed to close if no help arrives

NEVADA, Mo. -- Parents and boosters are imposing a challenge of their own in hopes of saving Missouri National Guard's boot camp for troubled youths, scheduled to close Jan. 15 due to sluggish tax revenue.

Carol Branham, a board member of the not-for-profit Friends of the Show-Me Challenge Inc., said they hope to raise $500,000 by Monday to save the program that has helped some 830 young people in Missouri.

As of Thursday, more than $40,000 had been pledged.

"One lady from northeast Missouri who is the grandmother of a boy who was scheduled to come down in a couple of weeks called and said she was sending $1,000 down," Branham said. "She said she was so distressed to hear they were closing the program because her grandson was very excited when he was accepted."

Adjutant Gen. Dennis Shull, commander of the Missouri National Guard, announced Monday the program in Nevada would close as a result of Missouri's projected shortfall of $300 million over the next six months. The program's 44 employees would be laid off at the same time.

Shull said he was ordered to cut $500,000 from his annual budget without affecting the readiness of the National Guard units across the state. He left some hope by saying he would keep the program open for another cycle -- which had more than 100 applicants and was scheduled to begin Jan. 18 -- if someone could come up with the money.

Shull said the money would have to be in the bank on or near Jan. 6, but Branham remained hopeful the general will give the group more time if it appears fund-raising efforts are going well.

"He told us, 'Don't come to me on Jan. 15 with the money and expect to save the program,'" Branham said. "I'm sure his thinking is that he doesn't want to wait until the 11th hour, and we don't want to wait that long either. We're pulling out every stop we can think of and working with people in other cities to get the money we need."

The Show-Me Challenge program has operated out of Camp Clark. It is a military-style program that puts troubled youths through about five months of training on site, said Sandra Fontaine, program deputy director. Youths are taught self-discipline and to respect themselves and others. Afterward, they work with mentors and are monitored by the program for a year.

The program is designed for youths ages 16 to 18 who have not finished high school and who have passed drug tests. It is free for Missouri residents.

Branham was optimistic that the group will reach its goal, but donors can specify what they want done with their donations if the group fails to raise the $500,000.

"A man who gave me a check told me he wanted it back if we failed to meet our goal," she said. "The northeast Missouri woman who sent in $1,000 said she would need the money back to help her grandson if the program was closed down."