Three Effingham County teens will be among 157 youth scheduled to graduate from the Georgia Youth Challenge Academy on Aug. 25, at the James Brown Arena in Macon.

Mark LeMaster of Rincon, Evelyn Newman of Guyton and Quinton Seeley of Springfield are members of the 2007 Fort Stewart YCA graduation class.

Georgia’s Youth Challenge program is an all-volunteer, 22-week residential program for Georgia youth who have dropped out of school.

The program emphasizes academic achievement, physical fitness and character development. YCA graduates usually continue their education, join the military or return to their hometowns with a high school education and marketable skills.

The Georgia National Guard operates two Youth Challenge campuses, the original campus located at Fort Stewart near Savannah which opened in 1993, and the Fort Gordon campus located at Fort Stewart near Augusta which opening in 2000.  

Since the first Youth Challenge graduation, Georgia’s YCA has graduated more than 7,190 formerly “at risk” youth.