[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 86 (Thursday, June 17, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1323]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING RENEWAL WEEK AND THE VALUE OF COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMS LIKE 
          CHARACTER COUNTS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST JUVENILE CRIME

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                             HON. ZACH WAMP

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 17, 1999

  Mr. WAMP. Mr. Speaker, this week is Renewal Week. A week that we in 
the Renewal Alliance have set aside to remind our Colleagues and 
America about the value of private, community, and faith based 
organizations. Our nation has awakened this year to the reality of a 
cultural breakdown, where traditional values of respect and 
responsibility have often been replaced by indifference and apathy. But 
instead of just looking to Washington for a short term band-aid, I 
encourage everyone to help us look for a comprehensive solution. Our 
efforts should both protect our children and give them hope for their 
future. The only way we can do this is to bring traditional values back 
into our families, schools, and communities.
  I want to share with you the exciting work being done by a program 
known as Character Counts. This is a program designed to bring 
character-based education to our nation's schools. The Character Counts 
curriculum is taught in my district in Hamilton County and has been 
particularly successful this past school year. Values such as honesty, 
courage, citizenship, responsibility, values that helped make our 
country great, are discussed every week. In recent years violence, 
crime, addiction, poverty, and the breakdown of the family have taken 
its toll on the health of our local communities. If we truly want to 
stem the tide, we must return to our core values. I particularly want 
to praise Senator Pete Domenici who has been a strong advocate for this 
organization in the Senate and throughout the country. I encourage all 
of my colleagues to follow his lead.
  Throughout this week, I encourage you to join me in empowering 
community institutions and encouraging community renewal to help inner 
cities and distressed rural communities gain their share of America's 
property. We must acknowledge a federal role, but let's focus on our 
communities to give our children hope for the future. We cannot fight 
this battle alone.

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