Kiwanis Club of Elgin supports Youth Leadership Program

Renz Addiction Counseling Center was recently awarded $1,000 from the Kiwanis Club of Elgin to help fund the center's Leadership Empowerment And Development (LEAD) program for at-risk youth.

For seven weeks this summer, 40 at-risk teens will learn evidence-based Project Toward No Drug Abuse curriculum with activities that reinforce leadership skills, build self-esteem, and develop decision-making abilities.

LEAD concludes with a weeklong trip to the Cebrin Goodman Institute in July where teens create a school/community anti-drug campaign.

"With the support of the Kiwanis Club of Elgin, Renz Center can now offer the LEAD program to more at-risk youth in our community, said Renz Center's Executive Director Jerry Skogmo. "It's because of these community partnerships that teens can benefit from alcohol and drug prevention education and learn essential leadership skills."

Renz Center provides a continuum of care dedicated to the prevention, intervention and treatment of addictive behaviors related to alcohol, drugs, and gambling. Services range from prevention programs for youth in the schools to outpatient treatment programs for adolescents and adults. Priority is given to pregnant women and women with dependent children. Offices are located in Elgin, St. Charles, and Streamwood.

Renz Addiction Counseling Center is accredited by Council on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities for its adult and adolescent outpatient treatment programs. This accreditation represents the highest level of recognition that can be given to an organization and shows Renz Center's commitment to quality services.

Renz Center is a nonprofit organization funded in part by the federal government, Fox Valley United Way, the Illinois Department of Human Services, Hanover Township, Geneva, and St. Charles 708 Mental Health Boards and other local community organizations.

To find out more about Renz Center's programs, call (847) 742-3545 or visit www.renzcenter.org.