[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11630-11631]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                           CHARACTER COUNTS!

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I am proud to be an original 
cosponsor of the Character Counts! initiative introduced by Senator 
Domenici and others on May 6, 1999. I avidly support education in West 
Virginia and the United States, and I believe this should include an 
emphasis on basic character and good citizenship. In the words of 
Theodore Roosevelt: ``To educate a person in mind and not in morals is 
to educate a menace to society.''
  Character Counts! recognizes and addresses that there is a connection 
between one's personal life and one's business or political abilities. 
Character Counts! understands that morals and character development go 
hand in hand, and that it is never too late to teach the tools to help 
develop personal character. The promotion of healthy character 
development is a necessary precursor to reaching the ultimate goal of 
teaching people to take personal responsibility.
  The Character First! training series is based in Oklahoma City, 
Oklahoma.

[[Page 11631]]

The Character Bulletin Series provides a flexible system that is 
designed to meet any needs or schedule. It uses a monthly four-step 
program to teach necessary tools for character development. The first 
step of every month is a Character Bulletin. This provides a character 
quality, such as virtue, along with tools to help build it. The second 
step contains Supplements, including the Introducing ``Character'' 
Leadership Supplement, which provides additional resources for teaching 
others about the character quality, and Building ``Character'' 
Leadership Notes, which challenges those in positions of leadership to 
hold themselves to higher standards. The third step is called Character 
at Home, and provides ways to use the Character Bulletin Series at 
home. This step is particularly helpful for parents who want to play an 
active role in their child's development. The final part of the series 
is a Character Poster, a full color poster to remind people of the 
quality of the month. Recently a cooperative effort to promote 
Character Counts! began in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their city-wide 
effort involves government personnel, businesses, churches, schools, 
and others in the community. We should celebrate this city-wide effort 
to educate people about character and implement the Character Counts! 
program in other communities nationwide.
  Educating people about character and citizenship is crucial to create 
healthy communities. Years ago, as Chairman of the National Commission 
on Children, I worked hard to include an entire chapter in our 
comprehensive report called Creating a Moral Climate because I felt 
strongly about the issue. Everyone of us has an obligation to create 
such a climate for our family, our friends, and especially children in 
our communities.
  Character Counts! provides this type of leadership and resources to 
support character education which will promote continuous growth and 
development. It is our responsibility to educate people, and I commend 
Character Counts! for providing a much needed educational 
service.

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