James Coburn
EDMOND — The Edmond Character Council will have a family character training seminar from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church of Edmond, 101 S. Rankin.
The program was developed by Character First in Oklahoma City “for families who want to mentor and develop good charactership traits in the family,” said Jim Hulsey, executive director of the Character Council of Edmond.
Formed in 2001, the Character Council of Edmond is a nonprofit organization of Edmond volunteers striving to enrich Edmond as a “city of character.” The Edmond Character Council is associated with Character First.
The entire staff of Edmond Family Counseling attended the character training event in 2007.
“I joined because I feel like the character council is promoting the character traits that once were taught by families,” said Jackie Shaw, executive director of Edmond Family Counseling. “It seems many of us have forgotten those things and I think its important for our children to know that we recognize those traits as valuable.”
Shaw said Edmond Counseling Services developed a first-time offenders community service program through the Edmond municipal court to offer a psycho-educational group for juveniles based on character traits.
The Character Council of Edmond also has provided educational training for educators in public and private schools.
“We kept getting responses back on the surveys from teachers that would say, ‘Kids aren’t getting this at home,’” Hulsey said.
He said parents are encouraged to focus on the root causes of behavior in their children. “If you recognize the base causes you can begin to create good character traits instead of bad character traits.”
The family training seminar is $20 per person, which pays for materials and snack.
“We make allowances for people who cannot afford it,” Hulsey said. “There are scholarships available.”
TO LEARN MORE about the Character Council of Edmond, go to www.edmondcharacter.org. Visit www.characterfirst.com.
