Even 14 years later, Marc Klaas’s story evokes a parent’s worst nightmare.

In 1993, his 12-year-old daughter Polly was kidnapped from her own bedroom. For weeks, the country watched with horror and faint hope as thousands of volunteers and professionals searched for Polly and her abductor. Although her killer was eventually caught, communication and policy deficiencies limited police effectiveness.

Recently, I had the privilege to present an award to Marc Klaas and his wife Violet for their relentless efforts through education and legislation to protect children from crimes.

I asked Marc how he coped. He admitted he was initially consumed with total despair at his loss and anger against Polly’s killer, the police, and even God.

Ultimately, he said, he came to recognize he had three options: flight, fright, or fight. He decided to fight. He turned the energy fueling his pain and rage into something positive.

He founded the KlaasKids Foundation with a simple statement: "Polly gave meaning to her life, but I am the one who will give meaning to her death. Through the Foundation we can create her legacy and ensure that her death was not in vain."

And he’s done just that. He created for Polly a legacy of activism that has made the world safer for all children. But just as important is the towering example of character he provides to all who have or will suffer personal calamities.

In rejecting the role of a helpless victim and refusing to surrender to his grief, he reminds us that we all possess the resources to overcome even the worst that can happen to us.

In the end, it’s not our circumstances that determine the quality of our life, but our response to them.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.