>> Sign the petition to save the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy!
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The Battle Creek-based Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy (MYCA) is a free, nonprofit program run by the National Guard that provides at-risk youths with the education, discipline and life skills to transform themselves into successful adults.
Since its inception in 1999, the MYCA has graduated more than 2,000 cadets from across the state. It is considered one of the most successful of the 34 similar academies across the country. As it celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2009, however, the MYCA was in danger of closing its doors for good as Michigan’s budget crisis put its funding at risk.
Thanks to our efforts, the academy was able to remain open and important funding included in this year’s state budget will allow the MYCA to continue to operate at half capacity for another year. These victories are helping kids from across Michigan get the second chance they need and protecting nearly 20 Calhoun County jobs.
While this was a monumental achievement, the fight is far from over.
We must continue working until the MYCA is fully funded! When operating at full capacity, the MYCA helps roughly 200 kids in each class receive an education and build a brighter future for themselves, and provides between 40 and 60 jobs for our workers. This is an investment that will benefit our entire state.
Please join me in my fight to provide full funding to the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy. Sign our petition to urge lawmakers to restore the funding needed to help the academy operate at full capacity so it can give even more of our children the chance to become successful adults.
YES! I support fully funding the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy.
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May 4, 2011
Segal, Supporters Spotlight Value of the MYCA at the Capitol
On Wednesday, May 4, State Representative Kate Segal (Battle Creek) welcomed supporters, parents, cadets and staff members of the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy to the State Capitol in Lansing to call on state lawmakers to fully fund the MYCA. Following an event at the Capitol, cadets, staff and other supporters visited with lawmakers from both the Michigan House and Senate to discuss the positive work that takes place at the MYCA and to generate support to protect funding for the academy. Pictured above are Segal and current MYCA Cadres and Cadets on the steps of the Capitol.
Mar. 25, 2011
Former Cadets Standing Up for the MYCA
A number of Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy graduates will be visiting Lansing next week to share their stories about how the MYCA helped turn their lives around and tell state lawmakers why we must protect important funding in the state budget to keep the academy open. The former cadets will testify before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid this Tuesday, March 29, at 10:30 a.m. in Lansing.
The time is now for us all to do our part! With dangerous budget cuts being proposed yet again in Lansing, we must work together to contact our state legislators and urge them to support the MYCA so it can give even more of our children the chance to become successful adults.
Feb. 26, 2011
Helping Keep Families Warm This Winter
State Representative Kate Segal (Battle Creek) meets with several cadets from the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy at the Albion/Homer/Marshall Walk for Warmth on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011.
The Walk for Warmth is a fundraising event sponsored by Community Action to help low-income families, seniors and disabled citizens who have fallen on hard times keep their utilities on and stay warm during Michigan's harsh winter months. The cadets helped lead the event's three-mile walk, which began at the First Methodist Church in Albion.
The Walk for Warmth helped 29 households in Albion, Homer and Marshall pay their utility bills in 2009 and paid an average of $174.96 per household, according to Community Action. Thanks to the help of the MYCA cadets and other members of the community, Community Action will be able to offer this assistance to local families again this year.
Jan. 11, 2011
MYCA, Segal Welcome Academy's 24th Class
Sgt. Craig Campbell, center, and his fellow cadres with the Battle Creek-based Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy (MYCA) instruct new cadets during intake for the academy's 24th class on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011.
Joining Sgt. Campbell, other staff members, cadets and parents in commemorating the start of the MYCA's newest class, State Representative Kate Segal (Battle Creek) continued her fight to fully fund the MYCA so it can operate at full capacity and help more at-risk youths from across Michigan.
"The start of each class marks a new beginning for more than 100 cadets and their families," Segal said. "However, the academy is currently forced to turn away about 100 prospective cadets from each class due to budget restrictions, denying them and their families what may be their best chance to turn their lives around. Our efforts to keep the academy open were certainly a major victory, but our work is not done. We must continue to build support for this wonderful program that benefits our kids, our workers and our state, and keep fighting until the MYCA can get back to full strength."
Oct. 18, 2010
MYCA Receives Additional Funding
Our fight to support the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy took another step forward recently as the academy received an additional $100,000 from the final pieces of the state budget, which were signed into law last week.
The Legislature agreed to increase funding for the MYCA by $100,000 in September, which comes in addition to the more than $642,000 State Rep. Kate Segal (Battle Creek) and other lawmakers successfully fought to protect in July to enable the academy to continue operating at a reduced capacity. Since the academy is a state and federal partnership, the additional state money may be able to be used to leverage more federal money for the program.
We must continue to support this wonderful resource to give more at-risk youths from across the state a second chance and protect jobs in Calhoun County. Each small step brings us closer to our goal of getting the program back to full strength.
February 2, 2010
Dear friends,
The Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy (MYCA) in Battle Creek traveled a rough road over the past year. As many of you already know, due to budgets cuts across the board in Michigan, the program was set to disappear on Dec. 26, 2009.
Fortunately, that didn't happen. I worked closely with academy and community leaders and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to keep the academy up and running. As a result, MYCA graduated its full class in December - feat that would not have been possible without your hard work and dedication and the support of our community. The program continues to operate today at a reduced capacity that serves only about half as many youths.
This is still great news for MYCA. The quasi-military program is a crown jewel of Battle Creek, helping at-risk kids from across Michigan receive a second chance at becoming successful adults. The academy is one of a kind in Michigan and one of the most successful in the nation.
The academy MUST operate at full capacity in order to help as many kids as possible. I am continuing to fight for that by sponsoring legislation to restore full funds for the academy for 2010. The plan, which I introduced in December, is currently awaiting a vote. My House colleagues and the Senate need to approve this plan and get MYCA the vital funding it needs to operate at full capacity.
With a $1.8 billion state budget deficit predicted for 2011, we will have to fight harder than ever for MYCA. I cannot emphasize enough that closing this program - or operating it at a reduced capacity - is the very definition of "penny-wise but pound-foolish." If at-risk kids don't have access to MYCA and end up on welfare or in prison, it will cost Michigan far more money than it would to fully fund the program.
To me, this is common sense - my House colleagues and the Republican-led Senate need to understand the value of the program and help set my plan into motion. Until then, I will continue reaching out to private individuals and foundations that may be able to help with the funding shortfall.
Thank you for your help and support along this difficult journey. Our fight isn't over. Please continue to make your voice heard to your state legislators and local media so we can get MYCA back to full strength and help the kids who need it.
Sincerely,
State Representative Kate Segal
62nd District
Calhoun County
*** 02/12/10 ***
Segal Receives Special Gift from MYCA Graduates
Legislator honored for her continued support of at-risk youth program
ATHENS - State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) was honored today when Ben Wallace, Director of Admissions and Graduate Affairs with the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy (MYCA), made a surprise visit to her "Coffee with Kate" at the Copper Kettle Café in Athens. He presented Segal with a special class photo of the recent 2009 MYCA graduates that was signed by each cadet in gratitude for her continued support of the academy.
Segal was instrumental in securing funding to keep the academy open so those cadets could graduate on Dec. 6 when the program was on the verge of losing its funding in the state budget last year. Although operating at a reduced capacity this year, the quasi-military academy continues to successfully instill the virtues of personal responsibility, accountability, education, and citizenship in its current class of at-risk young men and women from across the state.
Segal said receiving the gift was truly a great honor and that she will continue fighting to fully fund the academy going forward.
*** 11/25/09 UPDATE ***
Segal: Hard Work Pays Off, Youth Academy Will Stay Open!
Legislator's work will help keep program running through 2010
BATTLE CREEK - State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) today announced that the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy (MYCA) in Battle Creek will remain open through 2010. Instead of closing on December 26 as expected, the academy will stay open at a reduced capacity and will accept a new, smaller class of cadets in early January.
"This is a major step forward in keeping the academy up and running," Segal said. "Although the fight isn't over, the academy will still be able to positively change the lives of at-risk youth and save 35 badly needed Calhoun County jobs that were scheduled to disappear the day after Christmas. This gives us a little breathing room to find additional funding to push the program back up to full strength. I will not quit fighting for this program."
Segal worked closely with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs so the program can continue operating with the current budget but at a reduced capacity, allowing the MYCA to work with about half of the number of cadets they traditionally serve. The plan also will require a reduction in staff, but 35 of the 51 academy staff jobs will remain safe. The plan also requires that additional funding be found next year.
Segal has been working for the past six months with academy leaders, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and the Governor's office to save the MYCA in its entirety. She was instrumental in acquiring the funding needed to keep it operating through the end of 2009.
In her effort to save the program, Segal introduced legislation (House Bill 5611) last week to fully restore funding for the MYCA with the hope that it will be taken up in early December for a vote. Segal also has been reaching out to private donors and other private funding entities to help defray some of the cost of running the academy.
The MYCA is a quasi-military program run by the National Guard that gives at-risk youth from across Michigan a chance to transform themselves into successful adults. Because this is a program that really works, the demand for it is high. Currently, there are nearly 600 applications from potential cadets from around the state for the January class.
Since its inception in 1999, the MYCA has consistently taken high school drop-outs and turned their lives around. More than 85 percent of academy graduates eventually get a GED or a high school diploma. It is considered one of the most successful of the 34 ChalleNGe academies across the country. After graduation, cadets participate in the MYCA's award-winning mentorship program to help them achieve continued success.
For more information about the fight to save the MYCA and its importance to the community and state, please visit www.savemyca.com or search MYCA on Facebook.
"This is a big win for Michigan kids," Segal said. "Two weeks ago the program was set to disappear completely. Now, it will continue to save taxpayer money by shaping at-risk youths into law-abiding, successful citizens. It saves Calhoun County jobs, lets nonprofit groups in our area continue to benefit from community service performed by academy cadets, and reduces the amount of unemployment insurance costs to the state. I want to thank all those who have pitched in to try to save the MYCA. We'll keep fighting."
*** 11/13/2009 UPDATE ***
Segal to Fight for Full Funding to Keep MYCA Open
BATTLE CREEK - State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) said today she will introduce legislation to fully fund the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy in the wake of news that the academy will close by the end of the year if nothing is done. The quasi-military program run by the National Guard gives at-risk youths from across Michigan a chance to transform themselves into successful adults.
"Although we have made great strides over the past five months in keeping the academy running, I will not be satisfied until funding is fully restored and the academy can keep its doors open for good," Segal said. "Not only can we not afford to turn our backs on these young men and women, but with the economic challenges Battle Creek faces, we simply can't afford to lose any more jobs. I'm fighting to make sure our state invests in this valuable program and I hope all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in both the House and Senate join me. Michigan's kids need it, our workers need it and our state needs it."
Since July, when Segal began working with academy leaders to save MYCA, she helped the program acquire $642,300 in state funding, which will allow the current class of cadets to graduate on Dec. 6. However, employees and program administrators were notified on Thursday that they will receive layoff notices on Nov. 23 stating that their last day of work will be Dec. 26 unless additional funding is found. At-risk kids from across Michigan will lose a chance to turn their lives around and more than 50 employees of the MYCA will lose their jobs.
"Our fight it is not over - I will not stop fighting for the MYCA," Segal said. ""These kids leave the program with a realistic path to being able to be tax-paying, law-abiding citizens instead of winding up in prison or on welfare - both of which will cost the state much, much more. I cannot emphasize enough that closing this program is the very definition of being 'penny-wise but pound-foolish.'"
*** 9/24/2009 UPDATE ***
Funding Restored for MYCA!
This afternoon the bipartisan School Aid conference committee passed voted to restore $642,300 in funding for the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy (MYCA) - nearly two-thirds of the $1.025 million in state funding the academy needs to operate for the fiscal year 2010, and enough to at least allow the current class of cadets to complete the program.
This is a great victory for the staff, cadets and supporters from across the state who helped in our fight to save this fantastic program - but our work is far from finished. Please continue to raise your voice and keep our fight going until all of the funding is restored and the academy can keep its doors open for good!
*** 9/22/2009 UPDATE ***
MYCA Budget Decision in the Final Stages!
For months residents have been asking local and state officials to restore vital funding for the Michigan Youth ChalleNGe Academy (MYCA). As the state's Sept. 30 budget deadline nears, we must keep our momentum going.
A new committee of lawmakers from the House and Senate was recently announced to determine the School Aid budget that includes the MYCA. This is the budget that will be sent to the Legislature for a final vote. For a complete list of committee members, please click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Please continue to make your voices heard as we work to save the MYCA.
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