[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 42 (Monday, October 21, 1996)]
[Pages 2047-2048]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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Proclamation 6937--National Character Counts Week, 1996

October 11, 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 of 
the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twenty-first.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:31 a.m., October 15, 
1996]

Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on October 12, and it was published in the Federal Register on 
October 16.

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