CHARACTER COUNTS! was established to promote and teach the Six Pillars of Character:   Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship,  by The Josephson  Institute of Ethics — a nonprofit and nonpartisan teaching organization based in Los Angeles, California.  It is today the most widely implemented approach to character education, reaching millions of youth through thousands of affiliated schools, agencies and organizations.

Currently, we’re making a difference with these amazing programs:

• Pursuing Victory with Honor:  This nationally-recognized sportsmanship program is mandatory training for Duval County the Parks and Recreation Department football, basketball, baseball and softball coaches, assistant coaches and “team parents.” 
• Parenting the Next Generation: Through the State Attorney’s Office, CCIJ counsels parents of at risk teens in modeling good character and developing skills to encourage positive change in their families.
• The American Youth Character Awards:  For the past eight years, we have received nominations from schools and youth-centered organizations to honor outstanding students for living a life of character even if faced with adversity.  Honorees receive $500 savings bonds sponsored by a local bank.
• Business Ethics Coalition:  CCIJ partners with local businesses to provide team-building, values-based ethics trainings workshops, providing a visible “seal of approval” to the organization’s commitment to ethics.
• Re-Entry Programs:  CCIJ provides life skills/decision-making training to servicemen and women in the Homeless Veteran's Re-entry Program, as well as to residents of the City Rescue Mission.
• At-Risk Youth Education: CCIJ will spend all of 2010 at the Jacksonville Marine Institute, a Duval County Alternative School for court-ordered youth, training the staff, students and administration in CHARACTER COUNTS!  Additionally, we    are at the MaliVai Washington  Kids Foundation each month teaching the Six Pillars of Character to over 70 amazing third through fifth graders.