James Lockhart of Indio received a CHARACTER COUNTS! award from the Council for Youth Development and Youth Voice for the Workforce Development Board.

The two organizations, under the umbrella of the Riverside County Economic Development Agency, hosted its second annual CHARACTER COUNTS! Awards Ceremony on Oct. 18.

Lockhart participates in programs at the ACS Win Center in Indio and was one of seven recipients of the award in the county.

CHARACTER COUNTS! awards honor Riverside County youth that have “overcome many challenges … to achieve success in school and life” through the Youth Opportunity Centers of Riverside County programs, according to a press release.

The above is an article written by Mariecar Mendoza of The Desert Sun. Click here to view original article.

CHARACTER COUNTS! organizers in Riverside County, California, recognized local youth in a ceremony and issued this press release:

The Council for Youth Development (Council), the Youth Voice for the Workforce Development Board, hosted the Second Annual CHARACTER COUNTS! Awards Ceremony on October 18, 2006.

CHARACTER COUNTS! Founder Michael Josephson’s Six Pillars of Character (trustworthiness, fairness, caring, respect, responsibility, and citizenship) assisted Youth Opportunity Centers of Riverside County (YOC) staff and panelists (public and private-sector representatives) to determine the nominees and finalists for this most prestigious award. The CHARACTER COUNTS! Six Pillars of CHARACTER are an integral part of the seven YOC education modules used to develop youths’ character.  Character building for youth involves peer-centered, leadership and community activities for development and strengthening of character.

The award recipients have overcome many challenges, such as low self esteem and/or expulsion from school for misconduct, to achieve success in school and life.  In their efforts to make a positive change in their lives, the award recipients found the help of a mentor and the YOC programs to be pivotal in changing the course of their lives for the better.

Kody McQueen and six other young people turned their lives around with the assistance of caring mentors and involvement in a YOC. Award recipients, pictured above from left to right, were:

• James Lockhart, Arbor Win Center (Indio)
• Maria Martinez, Youth T.R.U.S.T (Moreno Valley)
• Edward Max, Planet Youth (Lake Elsinore)
• Kody McQueen, Riverside YOC
• Esteban Hernandez, The OASIS (Perris)
• Katherine Tanner, Empower State Building (Hemet)
• Silvia Ortega, Jurupa YOC (Rubidoux)

Said honoree Kody McQueen: “I began to steal and lie to get what I needed. This type of behavior continued until … the YOC (Youth Opportunity Center) staff … showed me they cared not just about correcting my behavior but about ensuring that I was safe and didn’t end up in places I would be unhappy with.”

Additionally, Maria Martinez received the Riverside Community College (RCC) Foundation’s $500 Scholarship.  The scholarship opportunity will assist Maria in purchasing textbooks and other much needed services while attending one of the RCC campuses.

Companies and individuals responsible for making the event a success are the City of Indio - Silver Sponsor; Bronze Sponsors - Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE), and Arbor Education and Training; and other contributors - Express Signs & Digital Printing; Heidi Marshall; Coast to Coast Laser; Kleinfelder, Inc.; Management and Training Corporation - Inland Empire Job Corps Center; Quality Printing; RCC Foundation; Riverside Marriott; RCOE Regional Occupational Program - Business and Marketing (Floral); California Family Life Center; Craig Van Houten; Rosa Penaloza; and Michael Bracken. 

For more information about the Youth Opportunity Centers, please call La Tonya Johnson, Coordinator of the Council, at 951.955.3108 or e-mail lsjohnson@rivcoeda.org.

It was a fine day for character in Wabasha, Minnesota, as the Wabasha-Kellogg School District kicked off their CHARACTER COUNTS! activities in style.  Rumor had it a special guest would make an appearance that day…But would rumor be right? Only time would tell. The turnout was terrific from Pre-K through sixth grade, and the gym was filled with rainbow colors – all Six Pillars on display. The principal welcomed the smiling students, and congratulated them on starting another year with character most in mind. Next up were the Pillars themselves, proudly presented by two students from each class. As for the mystery guest…Still no sign. The day continued as planned, with skits, songs and readings that revealed the qualities of each Pillar in turn. However, a quandary then perplexed the staff, and their minds fell hard to work. They wanted to play “hangman” using words of character and virtue, but one thing made them stay: how could they use the Six Pillars to “hang” someone that day? That is when the mystery guest was revealed to young and old: Pillarman approached, all Six Pillars to uphold. Much more than a game, however, Pillarman walked, talked – he even danced (well, the Six Pillar Shuffl, anyway). Legend has it Pillarman’s secret identity is none other than the district’s very own superintendent (your secret is safe with us, Pillarman). And so it happened that the day was a great success – with Pillars, colors, character, and excitement all around. No room today for strife, for today, the Pillars came to life.

Six New Hampton High School students were chosen to attend the 2006 Pursuing Victory With Honor Summit held at the Iowa Memorial Union on the University of Iowa campus on Wednesday, November 29.

The event was an opportunity for students and coaches to learn more about Pursuing Victory With Honor. Topics throughout the day centered on ways to develop good character and promote sportsmanship through the Six Pillars of CHARACTER COUNTS!...

“Our activities programs are a vital component in our educational setting and they play a big part in helping to produce students who are good citizens…We will continue to use events such as this to help supplement the great job that our coaches and sponsors do in promoting the CHARACTER COUNTS! program within our district,” said Activities Director Kelly O'Donnell.

The above excerpts are from an article that ran in NorthEast Iowa Focus. Read the full article here.