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Nola Sizemore

Staff Writer

At a regular meeting of the Harlan County Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, member Ralph Souleyret complimented the Appalachian ChalleNGe Academy on their program and added that the academy is helping the local economy by making a lot of their purchases locally.

“I don’t think the community has yet realized the amount of money that the academy has put into this community already,” said Souleyret. “Through their continued operations from year to year, that’s where they will really help the community. It will pass down each year, growing with different types of investments.”

Appalachian ChalleNGe Academy Admissions Placement Coordinator and Recruiter Dexter Day presented a program on the mission of the academy and the benefits of becoming a mentor to cadets.

“The academy will train and mentor selected at-risk youth, aged 16 to 18, to become contributing members of society using the Model’s 8 Core components in a regimental environment during a 22-week residential and a one-year follow-up program,” said Day. “Every cadet at the academy must have a mentor. We have 76 cadets at this time and can house up to 200.”

Souleyret said “there is no financial reward” for being a mentor to these teenagers but “you will be rewarded in other ways.” He said graduates of the program “sell the program” to others because of the change they experience.

“The more people who are involved with the program, the more the word can be spread about the academy,” said acting chairman Aimee Blanton.

Day said anyone wishing to participate in the academy’s mentoring program may visit their website at acaharlan.org and print an application. After completing the application, you may call 574-0303 or drop it off at the academy in Grays Knob.

Other items discussed included:

*Noted the 2012 award program will be semi-formal. Tuxes are not required, but coat and tie are requested.

*A Microsoft Office 365 seminar will be available for chamber members on Aug. 16.

*Loni Long, a representative on behalf of AFLAC Insurance, spoke to chamber members about the benefits offered by AFLAC and how it can help their employees.

*Noted the Harlan Daily Enterprise (HDE) will work with the chamber in hosting an educational workshop on how to use digital marketing to help their business. The event will be at the Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College - Harlan Campus from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 18. For more information, you may contact HDE Regional General Manager Alexander Gould at 606-248-1010 Ext. 202.

Reach Nola Sizemore at 606-573-4510 or at nsizemore@heartlandpublications.com