COMMUNITY & CULTURE
NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT
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atience. Perseverance. Integrity. Honesty. Kindness.
Respect. We can all agree that youngsters who possess
these positive character traits are more likely to grow into
successful and responsible adults.
That was the idea behind a revolutionary approach that
set out to transform St. Louis schools by raising the academic and ethical
responsibility for students.
The late McDonnell Douglas executive and philanthropist Sandy
McDonnell led efforts to establish the concept as a resource of the
Cooperating School Districts (now EducationPlus). And in 1988,
seven St. Louis school districts signed up for the program, marking the
beginning of CharacterPlus, considered to be the longest-running and
most successful character education initiative in the country.
CharacterPlus has since widened its reach, and as it approaches its
30th year, it currently has programs in more than 600 schools across the
St. Louis area.
More programs in more schools made funding of the essence, and it led to
the creation of Friends of CharacterPlus in 2005. The volunteer organization
aims to raise awareness and funds through donations and memberships.
This year, Friends officially launched the Founders Grant in honor of
its founder, Veronica McDonnell (Sandy’s daughter-in-law). The three-
year grant provides an underserved St. Louis-area school or district
with The CharacterPlus Way, an evidence-based program that supplies
schoolwide training, leading to significantly higher student achievement
and improvement in student behavior.
Friends board president Logan Finerty said the grant’s first-ever
recipient is AESM Middle School at L’Ouverture in the St. Louis Public
Schools district.
“We’ve adopted AESM, and for the next three years, we will provide
students and staff with our most intensive services - that will serve
the entire child,” Finerty said, noting the value of impressing positive
character traits in young children. “I’ve visited CharacterPlus schools,
and it drove home the importance of what we were doing. You can see
character education being instilled: Kids were orderly and in straight
lines, they raised their hands before speaking, and they were respectful
toward their teachers and each other. These were good kids.”
MISSION To help CharacterPlus expand its role in the community,
specifically with parents of school-age children, and to support all
functions of the CharacterPlus organization.
HOW YOU CAN HELP Friends of CharacterPlus’ annual Fall Party
will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17, at Moulin in Lafayette
Square. Proceeds benefit CharacterPlus programs in more than 600 local
schools. Trish Muyco-Tobin and Lynn Lowrance are serving as this year’s
co-chairs. For tickets and other information, call Terri Stout at (314) 692-
1215, email [email protected], or visit characterplus.org.
SAVVY I SOPHISTICATED I SASSY
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