TEEN CHALLENGE CHANGES REFLECT WORLDWIDE IMAGE

The name and logo of Mid-America Teen Challenge may have changed for 1998, but staff members said everything else should remain the same.

The new name of the organization is Teen Challenge International, Mid-America and its new slogan is "The proven cure for the drug epidemic."

The national board of directors adopted the new name, slogan and logo to promote unity and emphasize the international ministry of the religious rehabilitation program for young adults.

Teen Challenge residents also gain academic and vocational counseling in the free program.

"We minister in America's heartland, but we are part of an international network of ministries restoring ruined lives," the board wrote in a prepared statement. "We want people in every part of the nation to be able to recognize the Teen Challenge ministry. It will also help to communicate to potential donors that, while our focus is on Mid-America, our affiliation is international in scope."

The Teen Challenge chapter in Cape Girardeau has already adopted its new name, but plans to stick with the old ways of doing things. People seeking help from Teen Challenge will find that the service remains the same, said administrative assistant Beverly Breithaupt. She said the paperwork changes didn't cause many financial problems locally because of pre-planning at the local and national levels.

"Basically it doesn't change anything we do," she said. "We just wanted to unify the Teen Challenges just to try to make us a little bit well-known as a unit instead of individually, as we have been in the past. Many people don't know there are as many Teen Challenges as there actually are nationally and internationally."

In all, Teen Challenge has a network of 130 national sites and another 150 worldwide. The organization, which was created nearly 40 years ago, claims consistent success rates of 70 percent or better for young men with drug addictions.

The Cape Girardeau facility, situated along County Road 621, is the organization's fifth-largest site in the world.

Executive director Jack Smart said a local dormitory renovation and expansion is moving along despite a delay in getting materials. Renovations will allow the dormitory to house 46 students, he said.

Construction should be completed by late spring and will increase capacity within the dormitory complex to 138 students. Construction will allow a net gain of 30 rooms, including a staff apartment, Smart said.

The additional space also will allow the program to accommodate participants needing training from other programs in the nation.