New Mexico was a pioneer in launching CHARACTER COUNTS!, and in 2004 it became a pioneer in revitalizing it. Every CC! program needs refreshing occasionally, but none had yet made the effort on a statewide scale. New Mexico is helping show the way, with a clearinghouse and facilitation center for CC! programs around the state.
It began with a call early in 2004 from the state's senior U.S. senator Pete Domenici, who spearheaded the original launch in 1993. He phoned Paula Maes ("my-ezz"), the president of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association and a member of the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education, and asked, "Can you help me get the program revitalized?"
She was happy to. "It had gotten stale. Things weren't happening," Ms. Maes says. "We're trying to regenerate and put more life into the program."
The revitalization initiative got two important breaks at the outset: a paid full-time coordinator and paid-for office space. "We got very lucky that the Albuquerque Public School District, the largest in the state, with 85,000 students, gave us a permanent loan executive to be executive director," says Ms. Maes. That individual was Carole Smith, the longtime CC! coordinator for Albuquerque schools. "That's the piece that was missing, one person in a paid position to coordinate things. And we were also very fortunate that the Chamber of Commerce gave us a permanent office space."
Ms. Maes early on understood that revitalization had to be statewide. "In New Mexico, we have only one center of population, in Albuquerque. A lot of people think Albuquerque is the be-all-and-end-all. But there are some very successful CHARACTER COUNTS! organizations in the state. We're trying to get them all under one umbrella."
The program is still exploring routes to success. As coordinator Carole Smith notes, "At first, we thought we’d go out to districts and ask them to pay 75 cents per student. But then we decided to waive the fee, so schools can be involved for free." Instead, the program has relied on corporate grants and sponsorships. "We've had real good support from Sandia National Laboratories, Intel, the Public Service Company of New Mexico [a state utility], and Northrup Grumman."
Ms. Smith notes, "We want to be a cooperative and a go-to place for Schools. If they need trainings, we'll help them get that. If they'retrying to get the program going and need information and strategies,we give them that. We'll be the resource that can help them get going." Adds Ms. Maes, "It's a matter of organizing people, offeringthem services, getting them to network."
The first meeting took place in March. Next on the agenda is a September one-day awareness training in Las Vegas, New Mexico, which is free to anyone representing an organization in the state. The program is also planning a luncheon and scholarship program, for next March. It may approach the Legislature seeking funds and an official imprimatur.
"We can help people wade through problems," says Ms. Smith. "There are districts in New Mexico that have gone through this, and we can use their experience to help the others. Why reinvent the wheel if you don't have to?"
It began with a call early in 2004 from the state's senior U.S. senator Pete Domenici, who spearheaded the original launch in 1993. He phoned Paula Maes ("my-ezz"), the president of the New Mexico Broadcasters Association and a member of the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education, and asked, "Can you help me get the program revitalized?"
She was happy to. "It had gotten stale. Things weren't happening," Ms. Maes says. "We're trying to regenerate and put more life into the program."
The revitalization initiative got two important breaks at the outset: a paid full-time coordinator and paid-for office space. "We got very lucky that the Albuquerque Public School District, the largest in the state, with 85,000 students, gave us a permanent loan executive to be executive director," says Ms. Maes. That individual was Carole Smith, the longtime CC! coordinator for Albuquerque schools. "That's the piece that was missing, one person in a paid position to coordinate things. And we were also very fortunate that the Chamber of Commerce gave us a permanent office space."
Ms. Maes early on understood that revitalization had to be statewide. "In New Mexico, we have only one center of population, in Albuquerque. A lot of people think Albuquerque is the be-all-and-end-all. But there are some very successful CHARACTER COUNTS! organizations in the state. We're trying to get them all under one umbrella."
The program is still exploring routes to success. As coordinator Carole Smith notes, "At first, we thought we’d go out to districts and ask them to pay 75 cents per student. But then we decided to waive the fee, so schools can be involved for free." Instead, the program has relied on corporate grants and sponsorships. "We've had real good support from Sandia National Laboratories, Intel, the Public Service Company of New Mexico [a state utility], and Northrup Grumman."
Ms. Smith notes, "We want to be a cooperative and a go-to place for Schools. If they need trainings, we'll help them get that. If they'retrying to get the program going and need information and strategies,we give them that. We'll be the resource that can help them get going." Adds Ms. Maes, "It's a matter of organizing people, offeringthem services, getting them to network."
The first meeting took place in March. Next on the agenda is a September one-day awareness training in Las Vegas, New Mexico, which is free to anyone representing an organization in the state. The program is also planning a luncheon and scholarship program, for next March. It may approach the Legislature seeking funds and an official imprimatur.
"We can help people wade through problems," says Ms. Smith. "There are districts in New Mexico that have gone through this, and we can use their experience to help the others. Why reinvent the wheel if you don't have to?"
