CHARACTER COUNTS! organizers in Riverside County, California, recognized local youth in a ceremony and issued this press release:
The Council for Youth Development (Council), the Youth Voice for the Workforce Development Board, hosted the Second Annual CHARACTER COUNTS! Awards Ceremony on October 18, 2006.
CHARACTER COUNTS! Founder Michael Josephson’s Six Pillars of Character (trustworthiness, fairness, caring, respect, responsibility, and citizenship) assisted Youth Opportunity Centers of Riverside County (YOC) staff and panelists (public and private-sector representatives) to determine the nominees and finalists for this most prestigious award. The CHARACTER COUNTS! Six Pillars of CHARACTER are an integral part of the seven YOC education modules used to develop youths’ character. Character building for youth involves peer-centered, leadership and community activities for development and strengthening of character.
The award recipients have overcome many challenges, such as low self esteem and/or expulsion from school for misconduct, to achieve success in school and life. In their efforts to make a positive change in their lives, the award recipients found the help of a mentor and the YOC programs to be pivotal in changing the course of their lives for the better.
Kody McQueen and six other young people turned their lives around with the assistance of caring mentors and involvement in a YOC. Award recipients, pictured above from left to right, were:
- James Lockhart, Arbor Win Center (Indio)
- Maria Martinez, Youth T.R.U.S.T (Moreno Valley)
- Edward Max, Planet Youth (Lake Elsinore)
- Kody McQueen, Riverside YOC
- Esteban Hernandez, The OASIS (Perris)
- Katherine Tanner, Empower State Building (Hemet)
- Silvia Ortega, Jurupa YOC (Rubidoux)
Said honoree Kody McQueen: “I began to steal and lie to get what I needed. This type of behavior continued until … the YOC (Youth Opportunity Center) staff … showed me they cared not just about correcting my behavior but about ensuring that I was safe and didn’t end up in places I would be unhappy with.”
Additionally, Maria Martinez received the Riverside Community College (RCC) Foundation’s $500 Scholarship. The scholarship opportunity will assist Maria in purchasing textbooks and other much needed services while attending one of the RCC campuses.
Companies and individuals responsible for making the event a success are the City of Indio - Silver Sponsor; Bronze Sponsors - Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE), and Arbor Education and Training; and other contributors - Express Signs & Digital Printing; Heidi Marshall; Coast to Coast Laser; Kleinfelder, Inc.; Management and Training Corporation - Inland Empire Job Corps Center; Quality Printing; RCC Foundation; Riverside Marriott; RCOE Regional Occupational Program - Business and Marketing (Floral); California Family Life Center; Craig Van Houten; Rosa Penaloza; and Michael Bracken.
For more information about the Youth Opportunity Centers, please call La Tonya Johnson, Coordinator of the Council, at 951.955.3108 or e-mail lsjohnson@rivcoeda.org.
