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Awards and Accolades

The Challenge Day program has received numerous awards from the Juvenile Justice system, the D.A.R.E. Officers Association, government officials, and many school districts and cities nationwide. It has also been featured in the New York Times best seller, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. In April of 1999, after the tragic incident at Columbine High School, the creators of Challenge Day, Yvonne and Rich St. John-Dutra, were asked to bring the program to Colorado as part of the healing for the greater Denver community.

• Governor's Proclamation: State of Wyoming, Chyenne, WY
• Mayor's Proclamation: Austin, TX
• Certificate of Achievement: U.S. Congressman George Miller, 7th District of California
• Certificate of Appreciation: Mount Diablo Unified School District and Drug Free Task Force, Concord, CA
• Letter of Appreciation: West Boylston Peer Counselors, West Boylston Middle/High School, May 16, 2001
• Letter of Appreciation: Susan Cross, Anthony Wayne Local Schools, Lucas County, OH, March 31, 2001
• Letter of Appreciation: Assemblyman Tom Torkalson, California State Legislature, December 18, 2000
• Outstanding Youth Program Award: Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Commissions of Contra Costa County, Contra Costa County, CA, October 12, 1989
• Speaker's Award: D.A.R.E Officers' Association, Concord, CA, March 1992
• Emmy Award: "Teen Files: Surviving High School," featuring Challenge Day, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, 2000

Challenge Day has also been featured on the Oprah Show! Correspondent Lisa Ling took cameras inside a typical American high school. What she found was eye-opening, and what happens proves that real change and connection is possible.  Information on the episode The High School Challenge can be found here.

“We all need people or things to help us in our troubled times. Challenge Day was one of those things that helped me.”    - Central Florida Student