March's Character Quality of the Month Forgiveness "Clearing the record of those who have wronged me and not holding a grudge." A Special Thanks to Cache Bank & Trust and the Moot House for Hosting 2009 Community Character Days! Don’t miss out on the Character Day activities March 19, 2009!  Click here for more information. You could be the next ‘Good Character is Good Business Partner’ with a $1,000.00 sponsorship for May's Character Day events!  Your sponsorship will include publicity on the Character Fort Collins website, as well as recognition and a company banner displayed at the Character Day events.  Character Fort Collins will also send a speaker to your business to discuss how good character translates to good business for you.  Interested?  Contact Character Fort Collins about becoming the next ‘Good Character is Good Business Partner’ of 2009!  Character First! Family Seminar Helps Families to Develop Character Together Join Character Fort Collins on Saturday, March 7, 2009 for the Character First! Family Seminar.  Bob Powell, certified Character First! Consultant, will lead this exciting course which helps parents to bring character training to the home.  Parents who participate in the seminar will learn skills that enable them to evaluate their perspectives towards their families, formulate a plan for working together as a family to build character, practice the basic principles of character building, and develop practical steps of action which implement those principles.  "Character development has always started in the home,"  states Powell.  "Understanding the role one's home life plays in the development of character is vitally important.  The Character First! Family Seminar helps to equip a parent for his or her leadership role in the development of the character of family members."    Enjoy this half-day seminar focused on putting character first in your family.  The $35.00 seminar fee includes the Achieving True Success book and workbook, a light lunch and free childcare for children under the age of 9 years.  Contact Character Fort Collins at reservations@characterfortcollins.erg or 970-266-2671 to reserve your seat! Would you like to take character training to your workplace?  Don't miss out on the Character First! Basic and Advanced Implementation Seminars March 24 and 25, 2009 at the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado.  Visit www.characterfortcollins.org for more information.  CHAMP Sends Message that Character Should be a Priority in Youth Athletics CHAMP hosted its community-wide celebration of character in youth athletics last Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at the 2nd Annual CHAMP Celebration and Community Fundraising Breakfast.  More than 600 community members gathered at the Hilton to support the CHAMP program, which highlights positive examples and provides role models in athletics as well as educational opportunities and resources to the Fort Collins team community.  Highlights of the morning include the announcement of the Sonny Lubick Coach of Character Award Recipients - Hal Kinard, former Lincoln Junior HIgh School teacher and coach, and Rich Yonker, former Poudre High School Assistant Principal, Athletic Director, and Head Football Coach!  "It's a great honor to have any award given to you with the name Sonny Lubick on it," Kinard said.  "I respect him as a coach, but I respect him more as a man."  Both coaches were celebrated for their lifetime commitments to coaching from a standpoint of character.  Special Guest Speaker Rod Olson rounded out the morning and lit up the room with his message of speaking greatness into our student-athletes and creating a positive, winning climate both on and off the field.  Rod Olson is the founder of the Coaches of Excellence Institute, a nonprofit that provides training programs for coaches and parents to ensure all young athletes have the opportunity to develop positive character traits, build self-confidence, and learn life lessons through sports.  Visit www.coach-o.com for more information about Rod Olson.  The proceeds from the Annual CHAMP Celebration and Community Fundraising Breakfast support the program costs of CHAMP.  Scott Nelson Remembered with the Heart of a Champion Senior Scholarship New in 2009, CHAMP is launching the Heart of a Champion Senior Scholarship Program to honor exceptional high school student-athletes for demonstrating respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship.  The 2009 scholarships are underwritten by the friends and family of Scott Nelson.  Scott Nelson was an athlete of extreme character.  As a four-sport high school athlete, Scott declined an in-state football scholarship to pursue his Bachelors degree from Purdue University.  Scott walked onto the football team after his first semester and went on to be a four-year starter.  While at Purdue, he received the Red Mackey Award for Excellence.  This award honors a player voted most deserving by both the coaching staff and fellow team members.  Recipients demonstrate positive attitude, outstanding competitive spirit, loyalty, honesty, generosity, tenacity, self-discipline, dedication, hard work for the best interest of the team and a willingness to help others.  Despite Scott's success on the athletic field, he was remembered by those close to him as a good person above all else.  Scott Nelson, loved by many in the Fort Collins Community and abroad, was a man of impeccable integrity - a "man of his word" whose actions embodied the character traits to which we all aspire.  Those who knew Scott will remember a great teammate, a man who considered others' needs before his own, and someone with whom they wanted to spend more time.   Scott's family and friends are honored and humbled to share the story, spirit, and example of this amazing man of character with the athletes, coaches, and fans of the Fort Collins Community.  In May, two $500.00 scholarships will be awarded to one male and one female college-bound, graduating high school athlete within the Poudre School District boundaries.  The nomination process for the Heart of a Champion Senior Scholarship will be open until April 15, 2009.  Please visit the CHAMP website for more information about the Heart of a Champion Senior Scholarship Nomination process.  Mayor Hutchinson Leads Junior High School Students in a Conversation About Responsibility Character Fort Collins was excited to present Mayor Doug Hutchinson at the 'Characdership Lunch' Friday, February 27, 2009 at Lincoln Junior High School.  Seventeen t graders were selected to participate in the working lunch session focused on the character quality “Responsibility: Knowing and doing what is expected of me.”   "Character education is important - reading, writing and arithmetic aren't the only skills we need to survive in this world,"  says Angie Dowdy, a Counselor at Lincoln JHS and the school coordinator for 'Characdership Lunches'.  "If we expect a student to write better, we show them an excellent sample of writing, we celebrate good writing, and we give feedback to grow as authors.  The same is true of character education." During his talk, Mayor Hutchinson touched on the keys to being a responsible leader including: leading with vision, demonstrating effective communication skills, and listening to all viewpoints.  The junior high school students also participated in an exercise where they had to demonstrate the responsibilities of wearing different hats.  'Characdership Lunches' came about after the Education Committee of Character Fort Collins' Community Engagement Council approached key members of Poudre School District about vamping up the district's character education programs. 'Characdership Lunches’ will provide a focused one hour session each month to intentionally work on building character and leadership in these students.   "We're reaping the rewards!," says Dowdy.  "The [students'] responses are indicative of their readiness to be of service to others, of their positive thinking skills, and their willingness to grow."   Lincoln Junior High School celebrates character education on a regular basis by focusing on the character qualities Positive, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and Excellence (PRIDE).  The ‘Characdership Lunches’, which take place on the fourth Friday of each month, focus on traits which relate the school’s character acronym: Enthusiasm, Responsibility, Tolerance, Virtue, and Excellence.  Contact Becky Dixon, Executive Director, for more information about ‘Characdership Lunches’ at the Junior High Schools.

MARCH COMMUNITY CHARACTER RECOGNITIONS Character Fort Collins would like to recognize Craig Moddelmog for the character quality "Discernment: Understanding the deeper reasons why things happen."  Craig has been instrumental in planning the Annual CHAMP Celebration and Community Fundraising Breakfast.  Craig's ability to look at life with the bigger picture in mind and maintain a "glass half full" attitude has positively benefitted all involved by helping others to keep in-mind the greater goal of promoting good character across the community.  Craig works at Merrill Lynch as the Financial Manager in Charge.  Character Fort Collins would like to recognize  Ryan Burke  for the character quality "Creativity: The ability to transcend traditional ideas and to create meaningful new forms, methods and interpretations." Ryan has brought a new level of professionalism and quality to the creative design pieces produced by the City of Fort Collins.  Ryan's behind the scenes creativity has benefitted the City of Fort Collins by helping to communicate a sharp and professional message to the entire community.  Ryan is a Graphic Artist for the Communications Department of the City of Fort Collins.  Thank you Craig and Ryan for being role-models of good character in our community.  Is there someone you think should be recognized? Contact Character Fort Collins today at info@characterfortcollins.org.   UPCOMING EVENTS Community Character Breakfast Please join us on the Third Thursday of every month for CFC Character Day events.  Thursday, March 19, 2009 6:45AM - 8:00AM at the Moot House We invite you to this free monthly continental breakfast and program, which includes a brief overview of the community-wide character initiative and a discussion about the steps to start and sustain a character initative in your workplace, school or home.  For reservations or information, call us at 970-266-2671, or email us at Reservations.  We hope to see you there! More Details Community Character Lunch Please join us on the Third Thursday of the month for CFC Character Day events. Thursday, March 19, 2009 11:30AM - 1:00PM at Cache Bank and Trust  We invite you to this free monthly lunch and program, which includes a brief overview of the community-wide character initiative and a discussion about the steps to start and sustain a character initiative in your workplace, school, or home. For reservations or information, call us at 970-266-2671, or e-mail us at Reservations. We hope to see you there! More Details Character First! Family Seminar Saturday, March 7, 2009 8:00AM - 1:30PM Location: First Presbyterian Church, 531 South College, Fort Collins, 80524 Cost Details: $35/person or couple Character training begins at home.  The Character First! Family Seminar will encourage you get on the right track to putting character first in your family. Seminar fee includes Achieving True Success Book and Workbook and a light lunch. Child care provided for children under 9 years upon request. For reservations or more information contact us at 970-266-2671 or Reservations. Character First! Basic Implementation Seminar Tuesday, March 24, 2009 8:30AM - 4:30PM at the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado Cost Details: $245/each (1-5ppl) $205/each (5+ppl) $205/each (Govt/Nonprofit) Attend this day long Basic Implementation Seminar  and learn how to put character first in your workplace.  Lunch is included in seminar fee. For reservations or more information contact us at 970-266-2671 or Reservations. Character First! Advanced Implementation Seminar Wednesday, March 25, 2009 8:30AM - 4:30PM at the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado Cost Details: $245/each (1-5ppl) $205/each (5+ppl) $205/each (Govt/Nonprofit) Attend this day long Advanced Implementation Seminar and learn how to put character first in your workplace. Lunch is included in seminar fee. For reservations or more information contact us at 970-266-2671 or Reservations.

Character Council of Greater Fort Collins
1501 Academy Court, Suite 203 • Fort Collins, CO 80524
P.O. Box 271427 • Fort Collins, CO 80527
(O) 970-266-2671 • (F) 970-226-9977
www.characterfortcollins.org