TLC and Character Counts

TLC

Lucy Perez was our speaker this morning from TLC. Lucy was extremely appreciative of our support and wanted us to know that what we give goes for a really good cause.

Lucy said yesterday there was a woman with a little 7 year old girl who walked into their office. The 7 year old girl was a cancer patient and her mother knew the little girl was going to die. The single mother had to take every single Wednesday off from work to take her little girl to chemo and every Tuesday to go for counseling. The mother came in because she heard TLC could help because as a single mother she could not afford to take two days off from work. So though Lucy has a waiting list of 12 people for the counselors and though the mom could only come in at 6pm an hour after her counselors leave she signed her up for Wednesday at 6pm to see a counselor. Her counselor is volunteering her time since TLC does not have the extra money to pay her. This is her example of something that happened yesterday but what every single day is like.

Dr. Jagielski, Director of Pupil Resources, and Lucy also told other stories of girls younger than 10 who were raped by their grandfather who needed counseling. A mother who ran away with her two children from her abusive husband in Chicago and had no paperwork. A middle school boy who they referred everywhere to get a physical because he had no health insurance and finally ended up talking to his couch for.

The real life scenarios that they face every single day tugged at everyone's heart strings.

TLC assist the entire Downey Unified School District their areas of emphasis are:
* Legal Referrals
* School Supplies
* SARB
* Medical Exams
* Counseling
* Case Management
* Vision Exam and Eyeglasses
* Downey Dental Academy
* Parent Support
* Health Insurance Enrollment
* Emergency food, clothing, and shelter referrals

TLC is having a luncheon fundraiser Friday, February 26, 2010 11:30-a
1:00pm at Rio Hondo Event Center... mark your calendars!

Character Counts

The ladies of Soroptimist this morning wore RED to show our support of drug free youth. At the meeting Dr. Jagielski informed us of the Character Counts program the Downey district is now using instead of Red Ribbon Week. The program is so successful that there is a representative from the District speaking in Washington DC about it today. And the Department of Education is coming to Downey next week to see the progress of the program. The 6 pillars of Character Counts are values that are reinforced year round and useful for every single aspect of their lives!

The program is reinforced every single day in numerous ways but a few that Dr. Robert Jagielski used as examples were:
1. Parking under banners for the 6 pillars. So you may be parked underneath Faithfulness or Citizenship.
2. Students who get in trouble and need to visit the Vice Principal write on a piece of paper what they did wrong and which pillar they broke.
3. The homeboys in the schools know each pillar and what it stands for.
4. Students are bringing it home and teaching their parents about it.

Excerpt from Making Ethical Decisions:
The CHARACTER COUNTS! approach to character education doesn't exclude anyone. That's why we base our programs and materials on six ethical values that everyone can agree on — values that are not political, religious, or culturally biased. Use the points below to help young people understand the Six Pillars, and use the mnemonic devices at right to help them remember.


Trustworthiness

Be honest • Don’t deceive, cheat or steal • Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do • Have the courage to do the right thing • Build a good reputation • Be loyal — stand by your family, friends and country


Respect

Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements


Responsibility

Do what you are supposed to do • Persevere: keep on trying! • Always do your best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined • Think before you act — consider the consequences • Be accountable for your choices


Fairness

Play by the rules • Take turns and share • Be open-minded; listen to others • Don’t take advantage of others • Don’t blame others carelessly


Caring

Be kind • Be compassionate and show you care • Express gratitude • Forgive others • Help people in need


Citizenship

Do your share to make your school and community better • Cooperate • Get involved in community affairs • Stay informed; vote • Be a good neighbor • Obey laws and rules • Respect authority • Protect the environment

Visit our website at www.sidn.caminorealregion.org
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