Mother, daughter join character council

The Edmond Sun

EDMOND Tue, May 13 2008

— “Counting the cost” is important to an Edmond mother, especially before committing to another responsibility. Stephanie West, mother of three sons and one daughter, and grandmother of three girls, knows that the Edmond community has a lot of fine people. She also knows the importance — cost -— of having good character, and how important that tool is in their daily life.
Several years ago West and her daughter attended a Character First! training to help them see the real benefit in being able to identify character qualities in themselves and others. They both came away from the trainings with a desire to “share with others,” West said, “to understand, to make right decisions on purpose … help clarify the terms and aids in making right decisions.”
That “cost” was part of the motivation, the responsibility she felt, for West joining the Character Council of Edmond.
But, she wasn’t alone.
Jim Hulsey, president of the Character Council, had met Miss Edmond LibertyFest Emoly West, and invited her to attend the board meeting, after learning about her work in Edmond schools speaking and presenting messages concerning character-based abstinence education.
Stephanie West, Emoly’s mother, was invited to attend the same board meeting by another member. Mother and daughter had no idea the other would be there.
Regarding her mother: “I told her it is ‘about time’ she be officially associated with this organization which has like goals and purpose.”
Jack and Stephanie West and their family moved to Edmond in 1996 from Northwest Oklahoma City. “We had already been driving to Edmond for six years, as Emoly was with A.R.T.S., a performing arts ministry, here. So, we have really been a part of Edmond for longer than we have actually lived here,” Stephanie said.
Emoly West started working with Oklahoma Family Policy Council and Kids Eagerly Endorsing Purity programs when she was 14 years old, she said. Hulsey said this background provides experience for Emoly West’s new work with the character council.
“Having both mother and daughter participating in the character council is a real delight and an honor to this council and a benefit to our community,” Hulsey said.

FOR MORE information about the Character Council of Edmond, go to www.edmondcharacter.org. For information about OFPC, go to www.okfamilypc.org; KEEP, go to www.okfamilypc.org/keep/

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