National Character Counts Week, 2011

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8737 of October 14, 2011

National Character Counts Week, 2011

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In times of adversity and triumph alike, the American
people have been guided by the strength of our
character. With resilience and compassion, we have
provided for our neighbors, lifted their spirits, and
embraced our shared humanity. During National Character
Counts Week, we celebrate our country's core values and
commit to passing them on to the next generation.

By setting a positive example for our children, we can
inspire in them the virtues that define our Nation:
personal integrity, bold ingenuity, and a drive to
serve others. America's role models--from parents and
teachers to community leaders and coaches--play an
integral role in shaping character. They foster
patriotism, promote civic pride, and teach young people
to live by the Golden Rule by treating others the way
they want to be treated. Together, all Americans must
cultivate moral fortitude, preach tolerance, and
demonstrate the value of respect for those different
from ourselves.

Tragic events in our Nation remind us why it is
imperative that we create a climate of acceptance and
compassion in our schools and communities. Our country
has mourned as we have heard heartbreaking stories of
promising young men and women subjected to harassment
and bullying, driving some out of school, and others to
ultimately take their own lives. No family should have
to endure such a loss, and no child should feel that
alone. Let us honor their memories by striving to make
our neighborhoods and schools safe and affirming places
for every child to learn, grow, and dream.

Our Nation's character is engrained in our past,
central to our present, and key to our future. All of
us share a responsibility to preserve and uphold the
values that have kept our country strong, prosperous,
and free. This week, we resolve to stay true to the
American spirit and live according to our highest
ideals.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim October 16 through
October 22, 2011, as National Character Counts Week. I
call upon public officials, educators, parents,
students, and all Americans to observe this week with
appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fourteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.