A safe place to fail is how the leader of a business class in central Illinois schools describes the environment of their class.

The Central Illinois CEO program encompasses students from Blue Ridge, Clinton, Maroa-Forsyth, and Warrensburg-Latham high schools and this year has a record number of students. Facilitator Melanie Brown touts the program's development of a student's confidence and its safety in failure.

Students begin the school year but breaking the ice with the badge business. Brown indicates while in years past, the students had to find sponsors for the business, this year they had a local business owner who wanted to step up and support the whole thing.

Brown emphasizes this is a community-supported and funded program with nearly 50 investors for the Central Illinois chapter.

The program is always looking for more support. Learn more by visiting centralillinoisceo.com. To follow what the program is doing day-to-day, find them on Facebook and Instagram.