[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 22651]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING CHARACTER COUNTS! WEEK

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to the 
national week of CHARACTER COUNTS!, the most widely used character 
building framework in the United States.
  In 1993, after a conference in Aspen, Colorado, CHARACTER COUNTS! was 
formed to educate students about universal ethical standards. With six 
vital pillars--trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, 
caring, and citizenship--CHARACTER COUNTS! teaches students essential 
values for developing into productive citizens. This important program 
supplements a regular school's curriculum to educate our future 
generations about important decisionmaking skills. The program has been 
credited for increased school attendance, as well as a reduction in 
misbehavior.
  Character education is vital to our youth, and it teaches important 
lessons we would all do well to embrace. I commend the CHARACTER 
COUNTS! organization, its instructors, and its participants for being a 
part of this admirable initiative.

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