Kris Yoder, owner of both Chick-fil-A restaurants in Joliet, is sponsoring a program at a Joliet alternative school that is transforming how students learn about service and leadership.

On Sept. 9, Lincoln School in Joliet which “serves students grades six to 12 in three distinct program settings based on their individual needs,” according to the Lincoln School website, held a kickoff event for all students as they began participating in the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy.

“Chick-fil-A Leader Academy is a national high school program sponsored by Chick-fil-A Operators, focused on making impact through action,” according to the Chick-fil-A website.

Daniel Markun, a former academy coordinator at Joliet West High School and now a teacher a Lincoln Academy, said he ran Chick-fil-A Leader Academy for three years when it came to Joliet West in 2022 – and witnessed first-hand the program’s impact.

“It was a no-brainer to bring something like this to Lincoln,” Markun said.

In 2022, Chick-fil-A awarded Joliet West a $1,500 to fund “a school-wide impact project” to foster school spirit, greater involvement in the school and raised money for the community, he said in 2022.

With the funds, the 30 Joliet West academy participants used their leadership skills to host the Best of West Fest, Markun said.

The purpose was to showcase Joliet West to incoming freshman, their families and the greater community, while raising money for a local nonprofit and a local cancer patient, Markun previously said.

The difference between the program at Joliet West and Lincoln School is that all Lincoln students will participate, he said.

“We believe in our students and trust that if they commit themselves to always getting better, they will realize the importance of being a leader, making good decisions, and contributing to something bigger than themselves,” Markun said.

Rick Bain, principal of Lincoln School, said Markun suggested participating in the academy when he came to Lincoln School.

Bain said all students will automatically be enrolled in the program, even students who arrive mid-semester. Service learning and community service projects are part of the Lincoln School’s curriculum, which is credited to the student’s homeschool, he said.

So the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy was a great way “to provide the students with the opportunity they may not receive elsewhere,” Bain said.

Bain said students come to Lincoln School for variety of reasons “and not all of them are good.”

“But one of the things we’re trying to do here is tell kids and their families that their lives don’t have to be defined by their worst moments,” Bain said. “They can, in fact, overcome whatever brought them here and be successful.”

The Sept. 9 kickoff event included videos and discussions about leadership, Markun said.

Students also participated in the a community service project, where they packed 130 copies of five different books intended for 4- to 8-years-olds, Markun said. They also included handwritten note of encouragement for each child.

Yoder said he was involved with Chick-fil-A Leader Academy when it launched at Joliet West in 2022. That included letting the students hold food and clothings drives at his business.

Typically, just one class of 15 to 30 students participates, he said.

“But when an opportunity arose to get the school involved at Lincoln, it felt like a win-win for everybody,” Yoder said.

Yoder said he’s sponsoring the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy curriculum and also periodically providing lunch to the students to reward attendance and participation.

“I think everybody has a leadership potential,” Yoder said. “And I just think [the academy] provides people with the tools to explore what leadership is.”