Trump Declares This Week 'National Character Counts Week'
President Donald Trump proclaimed this week as National Character Counts Week, which is to "reflect on the character of determination, resolve, and honor that makes us proud to be American."
"Few things are more important than cultivating strong character in all our citizens, especially our young people," says the proclamation for National Character Counts Week, from Oct. 15 through Oct. 21.
"Our actions — often done first out of duty — become habits ingrained in the way we treat others and ourselves. As parents, educators, and civic and church leaders, we must always work to cultivate strength of character in our Nation's youth."
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It quotes President Reagan as once saying, "There is no institution more vital to our Nation's survival than the American family. Here the seeds of personal character are planted, the roots of public virtue first nourished."
"I call upon public officials, educators, parents, students, and all Americans to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs," the president says.
The third week in October has been celebrated as National Character Counts Week since 1993, according to the World Character Counts Week website by the Josephson Institute, a non-profit with the mission to "improve the ethical quality of society by changing personal and organizational decision making behavior."
The proclamation goes on to say that character might be hard to define "but we see it in every day acts — raising and providing for a family with loving devotion, working hard to make the most of an education, and giving back to devastated communities."
It continues, "These and so many other acts big and small constitute the moral fiber of American culture. Character is forged around kitchen tables, built in civic organizations, and developed in houses of worship. It is refined by our choices, large and small, and manifested in what we do when we think no one is paying attention.
"As we strive every day to improve our character and that of our Nation, we pause and thank those individuals whose strength of character has inspired us and who have provided a supporting hand during times of need. In particular, we applaud families as they perform the often thankless task of raising men and women of character."
