National Character Counts Week, 2013

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 9043 of October 18, 2013

National Character Counts Week, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

As Americans, we are bound together by a set of ideals
put forth by our Founders--that we are all created
equal, that we possess certain unalienable rights,
including the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness, and that, above all, we are one people.
During National Character Counts Week, we reflect on
the ways we support one another, the ways we come
together and seek common ground, and the lessons we
teach our children about what citizenship means in the
United States of America.

Nowhere is our Nation's strength more evident than in
the men and women in uniform who embody the American
spirit of selflessness, courage, and sacrifice. Across
the globe and here at home, they and their families
face challenges most of us will never fully understand
so all of us can live in freedom. Our public servants
too, and our teachers, nurses, and workers, toil
without fanfare so the people of this country can count
on a secure homeland and a growing economy, a healthy
future, and a chance at success for their children.

The children we raise today are surrounded by proud
examples of integrity, and moral courage, but it is our
task as parents, community members, and leaders to
teach them not only the skills they need to succeed,
but also the values that keep our country strong. This
week, we reaffirm our commitment to helping our
children turn away from bullying, harassment, and
discrimination, and to giving them the confidence and
integrity to stand up for each other, imagine a
brighter future, and realize their dreams.

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 20 through
October 26, 2013, 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
eighteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
eighth.