03/02/11
KENNY BISHOP HELPS RAISE FUNDS AT NATIONAL GUARD YOUTH FOUNDATION’S SIXTH ANNUAL CHALLENGE CHAMPIONS GALA
WASHINGTON, DC - Christian music recording artist Kenny Bishop recently performed in Washington, DC for the National Guard Youth Foundation’s (NGYF) Sixth Annual ChalleNGe Champions Gala. The event was held at the JW Marriott Hotel and is organized each year to raise funds and awareness for the program that provides education, support and guidance for troubled and at-risk teenagers in their home states.

“This was my introduction to the program,” Bishop said. “I thought I was prepared to go up there, do my part, appreciate the cause and go home. But I’ve fallen in love with these cadets, their stories and their resolve to succeed in life when everything in their world is fighting hard against it.”

Bishop joined “American Idol” winner Kris Allen, singer/actor Tyler Hilton, actress Karri Turner, singers Gretchen Wilson and Laura Bryna, “Apprentice II” winner Kelly Purdew, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., NASCAR owner Rick Hendrick, Indy car drivers JR Hildebrand and Martin Plowman, John Barnes of Panther Racing, Miss Indiana Nicole Pollard and WWE wrestlers Sgt. Slaughter and Kofi Kingston to help raise funds for the program.

“The highlight of my ChalleNGe experience was working with cadets Janette Garcia-Garay from California and Eric Rivera from Alaska,” Bishop said. “We had two days to put together a mash-up. When show time arrived and the lights came up, these kids took to the stage and just blew us away. The crowd fell in love and I felt like a very, very proud dad.”

Besides the entertainers, several state’s governors and adjutant generals, U.S. Representatives and Senators, Pentagon and White House officials, military generals and corporate leaders were in attendance.

“With all of the celebrity and power in that room, it was still the cadets who stood tallest,” Bishop said. “Their stories all started with disappointment and heart break, but thanks to the ChalleNGe program, they’re finding hope and promise for more successful and happier endings.”

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is a 17-month voluntary program with a 5.5-month residential phase and 12-month mentoring phase. There are 33 program sites in 27 states and Puerto Rico. Since its inception in 1993, more than 100,000 students have graduated from the Program.

The National Guard Youth Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) (3) whose mission is to support the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program in its efforts to raise awareness of the growing high school dropout crisis in the nation and its impact on the economy and national security. The National Guard Youth Foundation provides the ChalleNGe Program with scholarships, training and workforce transition assistance to graduates, while also increasing the visibility of the program and advocating for program goals and funding. In cooperation with the ChalleNGe Program, the National Guard Youth Foundation assists youths who drop out of secondary school to improve their life skills, education and employability, creating the next generation of skilled workforce in America. For more information about the National Guard Youth Foundation, please visit www.ngyf.org.