[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 201 (Wednesday, October 16, 1996)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 54069-54070]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-26770]



[[Page 54067]]


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Part IX





The President





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Proclamation 6937--National Character Counts Week, 1996



Proclamation 6938--National School Lunch Week, 1996



Proclamation 6939--National Children's Day, 1996



Proclamation 6940--Columbus Day, 1996
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  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 201 / Wednesday, October 16, 1996 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 54069]]

                Proclamation 6937 of October 11, 1996

                
National Character Counts Week, 1996

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                One of our most important goals as a Nation is to make 
                this a better world for all people. Millions around the 
                globe look to America as a champion of justice, and we 
                must always strive to encourage the good and denounce 
                the bad.

                This week, as a Nation, we celebrate the fact that 
                ``Character Counts.'' Whether in civic activities or in 
                our daily lives at work and at home, we all contribute 
                regularly to our American community and our national 
                purpose--our sense of who we are as a people. In the 
                end, the character of our Nation is determined by the 
                character of our citizens.

                During this special week, we recognize that character 
                is not a quality we are born with; we must learn it. 
                This means we must ensure that it is taught, clearly 
                and thoughtfully, to our youth. Individual character 
                involves honoring and embracing certain core ethical 
                values: honesty, respect, responsibility, hard work, 
                fairness, caring, civic virtue, and citizenship. 
                Americans must do everything possible to create a 
                society in which these virtues are not only taught but 
                also acted out in daily life so that our young people 
                can witness firsthand their value and learn right from 
                wrong.

                My Administration has made this effort a top priority. 
                Our Improving America's Schools Act promotes 
                initiatives in character education, just as the Goals 
                2000: Educate America Act recognizes the crucial role 
                of the family in nurturing strong values and 
                encouraging children to embrace academic achievement. 
                Our AmeriCorps national service program offers young 
                people a practical means through which to demonstrate 
                their beliefs in the civic virtues that traditionally 
                have given our Nation much of its strength of 
                character.

                The family remains, of course, the core source of our 
                values. Parents must teach their children from the 
                earliest age, the difference between right and wrong. 
                But we all must do our part. Teachers, religious 
                leaders, and other early-childhood role models must 
                display the highest standards of respect for themselves 
                and others; young people must commit themselves to 
                dealing nonviolently with the inevitable problems and 
                difficulties they will encounter; and both public- and 
                private-sector institutions must adopt corporate 
                behavior that encourages individual character 
                development.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim October 13 through 19, 1996, 
                as National Character Counts Week. I call upon the 
                people of the United States, Government officials, 
                educators, and volunteers, to observe this week with 
                appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                eleventh day of October, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and

[[Page 54070]]

                of the Independence of the United States of America the 
                two hundred and twenty-first.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 96-26770
Filed 10-15-96; 11:31 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P