Shortly after completing our Character Development Seminar eight years ago, Linn teamed up with Governor Jane Hull to initiate the CHARACTER COUNTS! Initiative in Arizona. In 2000, she set up the Arizona Character Education Foundation. The Department of Education has a character education department that coordinates trainings funded by the Foundation and funds salaries for 2.5 staff members in the Foundation. More than 25 Character Development Seminar trainings have been funded through the Foundation, which has resulted in more than 750 schools trained in CHARACTER COUNTS!, 900 trained staff, and 125 teacher in-service trainings each year.

During a recent telephone interview, Linn barely pauses for breath as she reels off all the names of the various projects initiated under CC! and the connections they have formed throughout the community. From lobbying for legislation to issuing CC! license plates in Arizona to distributing wood to elderly and low-income families, Linn's energy is contagious. "One hundred pairs of hands can do so much more than one," she says, insisting she's merely a catalyst for others to cooperate.

Linn tells us she works hardest at ensuring there is sustainability and depth to each CC! project. Once she identifies a need, she mobilizes everyone from school kids to detention-center youths to Chambers of Commerce to corporations.

Tammy with her son, Austin

One memorable example was Project Stay Warm. Recognizing the need for cheap firewood for low-income and elderly families during the cold winter months, Linn enlisted the help of the Arizona Public Service corporation. "They were already cutting down wood from around power lines, so I thought, 'here's a great opportunity to help.'"

Everyone benefited. APS found charitable use for the unwanted lumber; the Boy Scouts, school kids, and detention-center youths helped distribute the wood; and many people stayed warm during the chilly winter months.

Linn is always on the go, constantly thinking of new methods to bring her community closer through active participation under the CC! framework. She is currently working on a massive project to send 5,000 boxes of goods to troops serving in Iraq. Many local families have members deployed in Iraq, and the effort will help keep them connected with their loved ones overseas, as well as offering excellent opportunities for students helping with packing to feel part of something bigger.

Yavapai County's enthusiasm for the endeavor was so massive that the number of boxes has exceeded the amount earmarked for shipping costs ($40,000). To paraphrase Dr. Grandrud, one way or another, we're confident that Linn will meet the challenge.