The Arizona Character Education Foundation had an awesome 6K Run/Walk Challenge on Sunday, March 4th. The event was a fundraiser for the foundation and included a special VIP reception for Michelle Robson, chairman of the Arizona Character Education Blue Ribbon Task Force. Robson was recently honored with the YWCA Tribute to Women Award for Philanthropy. The 6K Challenge participants included school groups, parents, families, educators, competitive runners, and community members. The foundation raised approximately $70,000!

The Bahama Journal reports:

Breathless from a wildly-cheered, high-energy "Christie shuffle," Prime Minister Perry Christie told hundreds of attentive schoolchildren gathered for the 2007 Character Counts Talent Explosion on Monday how vital a good character is to reaching their dreams....

Read the full article.

Middle school students in Queensland, Australia are not just living by the Six Pillars, they’re living under them. Whitsunday Anglican School purchased special Six Pillar banners to display in their new Middle School precinct.

Chris French, head of the middle school, shared in his students’ enthusiasm for the new banners when they arrived. "The students were so excited,” he said.

The CHARACTER COUNTS! framework is evident in the language used by everyone from educators to parents. Students have each other to thank – they are the driving force behind CC! programs and activities for the school. Beyond the new signs, the initiative has offered morning character announcements, assemblies and chapel times centered on Pillar themes, and a noticeable reduction in negative behavior.

This year the Institute for Character Development at Drake University is celebrating 10 years of service to Iowa. One of the events showcasing our work with CHARACTER COUNTS! in Iowa took place on Friday, March 9 when the ICD hosted its first fundraising event at the Hy-Vee Conference Center. Over 500 people attended the event that was sponsored by McAninch Corporation and presented by Wells Fargo.

At the event, Coach Hayden Fry was presented with the Robert D. Ray Pillar of Character Award to honor his lifetime achievements in relation to his commitment to civility and character development.

The event was a great success in leveraging financial resources necessary to continue our work to impact the lives of Iowans. We also recognized an individual who has made a great impact on securing the future of the Institute as the largest contributor to our endowment. This person, who wishes to remain anonymous, has for the second time, made a matching pledge of $1 million to our endowment.

Michael Josephson, founder of CHARACTER COUNTS!, was on hand and stated in his remarks, “I come here to pay tribute to all of you and to acknowledge the great achievement of 10 years of ever-increasing impact of CHARACTER COUNTS! in Iowa. And I come hear to remind you that however far we have come there is still so much more to do. I ask you to imagine how much better things can be if we continue to strengthen our individual and collective character. I ask you to imagine a society where civility, honor and selfless service prevailed in every corner of every community. If you are a volunteer I ask you to find additional ways to strengthen the CC! movement. If you are a donor I ask you to double or more your gifts with knowledge that your resources are building a better world. If you are a sponsor I ask you to be aggressively creative in finding new and broader ways to collaborate in this great venture.”

Over 30 athletes and coaches were on hand to help honor coach Fry. Many of these individuals took time to participate in an All-Star Meet and Greet event on Saturday, March 10 where they signed autographs and took time to discuss good character with over 700 parents and youth.

The St. Johns County School District honored more than 100 students for their character Thursday night at the Seventh Annual American Youth Character Awards Banquet, including top honors for the Bartram Trail High School football coach and a Pedro Menendez High School basketball player.

Read The St. Augustine Reporter article here.  

The Putnam County Herald-Citizen reports:

Beginning this month, the commissioners will recognize county employees and citizens who simply do the right thing or who go above the normal call of duty in what's expected of them.

Every month at meetings of the Putnam County Commission, a Citizen of the Month and an Employee of the Month will be named to honor those people.

"I think there's so many people in Putnam County who are doing good things," Commissioner Johnnie Wheeler said. "I think it's wonderful the county commission is saying, 'We caught you doing something good, and we want to reward you.'"

Wheeler said the commission's awards committee will select a citizen and a county employee each month based on Character Counts -- a project of the Josephson Institute of Ethics which promotes honesty, integrity, keeping promises, loyalty, respect for others, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

A Citizen of the Year and an Employee of the Year will also be selected from the monthly recipients during that year.

The awards committee is now accepting nominations for these awards. To nominate someone, pick up a form in the county executive's office in the Putnam Courthouse at 300 E. Spring St. or contact Johnnie Wheeler at 528-7328. Putnam citizens can nominate each other, and county employees are nominated by their supervisors.

The first recipients of Citizen of the Month and Employee of the Month will be recognized at the April meeting of the Putnam County Commission. 

“I used to be a spoiled brat that had everything done for me. I blamed my handicapping condition for everything. Now, by concentrating on specific traits I've become more independent and mature. I've been putting these character traits into my life and they've been helping me grow as a person. Attention to the pillars have enabled me to take my mind off of my handicap and made me a productive member of my school community.”

So wrote Timothy Jones, one of the winning authors of the Joe Kordick Youth Character Awards held in Martin County, Florida. In its sixth year, the competition awards students from grades eight and twelve who have been nominated. This year nominations were open to public groups including churches and youth groups. To be eligible for nomination students must show an ongoing commitment that demonstrates any or all of the traits associated with the Six Pillars of Character. Nominated students are then invited to submit an essay detailing the undertakings which have demonstrated uncompromising integrity, community service and/or perseverance and inner strength which has allowed the student to overcome difficulties.

The late Joe Kordick founded the Awards, and was a driving force behind the implementation of CHARACTER COUNTS! in Martin County. His legacy has outlived him, and continues to thrive among the community of Martin County, where this year’s winners will take on the honor of becoming Character Ambassadors within their schools. Projects they will be involved in include peer mentoring through the offices of the guidance counselor, promoting voluntarism at school and community events, as well as maintaining involvement and commitment to their extra curricular activities that got them noticed in the first place.

The success of CHARACTER COUNTS! in Martin County comes from the dedication of those involved in maintaining it’s high profile. This year several new sponsors were involved in the event, the ceremony was held in the local technical college, enabling savings to be made on hiring a reception area, and light snacks were provided free of charge by a local supermarket. The whole community is involved in recognition of good character, of weaving into the fabric of their lives, and by giving the award nominees a chance to be rewarded for doing something good that benefits everyone.

Congratulations to this year’s winners: Karely Aguilar; Michael Alexander; Heather Bateman; Danielle Blakeslee; Lisa Bresson; Amanda Brown; Lauren Cavette; Derrick Edwards II; Lexi Gioseffi; Jessica Gutierrez; Emily Holland; Timothy Jones;  Michael Li; Raquel Molina; Andrea Ramos; Jonathan Tobias.

Students from West Middle School's ASPIRE afterschool program in Downey, CA, delivered a heartwarming presentation to Josephson Institute's Board of Governors at a February meeting in Los Angeles. The students recounted to the Board how CHARACTER COUNTS! had affected them and the special education students for whom they recently made stuffed animals.