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 program for at-risk youth.

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

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

"LEAD is a unique program that brings at-risk teens together to learn alcohol and drug prevention education and essential leadership skills," said Renz Center's Executive Director Jerry Skogmo. "Field trips that reinforce the week's lesson or having teens participate in community service projects would not be possible without the support of the Kiwanis Club of Elgin and other community partnerships."

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 licensed by the state of Illinois for its adult and adolescent outpatient treatment programs.

Renz Center is a non-profit organization funded in part by the federal government, Elgin Township, 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.