Character education can change lives. It changed Jessica Headley's, and now she wants to help others experience the transformation. After attending a Character-Development Seminar (CDS) presented by CHARACTER COUNTS!, Headley was inspired to start a nonprofit organization to provide scholarships for other people to attend the training.

In Alabama, character education is currently an unfunded mandate. The result is P.R.A.I.S.E., Inc. (Promoting Responsibility, Awareness, Integrity, Service and Education), which focuses on underprivileged children and teens. Headley's goal is to raise enough funding to enable a minimum of 5 to 10 percent of primary and secondary school teachers in Alabama to attend CDS and help combat juvenile delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse and unwanted pregnancy, plus build positive social skills.

Headley has been recognized by Camp Fire USA as the outstanding mentor in the Birmingham area.

For more information about P.R.A.I.S.E., Inc., go to www.praiseinc.net.