As part of CC! at Chamisa Elementary, kids helped raise money for tsunami victims in January 2005. "Students came up with the idea of putting a collection jar in each room," principal Kate Thomas told the Los Alamos Monitor. Parents sent in donations, but the school also encouraged students to do their part by earning the money.

Ms. Thomas highlighted students "like Matthew Schauer who gave $100 of his own money, and the Middle Team group [of third- and fourth-graders] who came up with a Fun Run and pulled it off."

The kids raised $1,001 for the Red Cross. Fourth-grade teacher Katie McCulloch said, "All of the teachers are proud of the initiative the students took on their own to raise that money."

The students next commenced a "Pennies for Patients" drive. Doctors had diagnosed Chamisa fourth-grader Cody Aiken with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and since "Pennies for Patients" helps kids children in similar straits, the students had a personal connection. They raised $1,018 for the Leukemia Foundation.

Britton Doharl, teacher and leader of the Student Council program, said, "These activities empower the students to apply the characteristics of the CHARACTER COUNTS! program. I think a group such as Student Council had the chance to show what great things can be accomplished when a group of devoted, thoughtful students work together."

Principal Thomas added, "Because a single character trait was emphasized and discussed each month through brainstorming activities with the school counselor and follow-up in the classrooms, the students have been very conscious of the CHARACTER COUNTS! program. Each student has a chart on which he or she track positive character activities completed by the student."