Pleasanton Community of Character Collaborative Newsletter March 2011

Pleasanton Organizations of Character
Newsletter

In This Issue
Annual Awards luncheon announcement
Haugen Character Award application
Honesty: by Jerri Long

Haugen Character Award and event announcement
JUANITA HAUGEN COMMUNITY OF CHARACTER AWARD ANNOUNCED - APRIL 15 DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS; WINNERS TO BE NAMED AT MAY AWARDS LUNCHEON

(Pleasanton CA) February 7, 2011 - The Pleasanton Community of Character Collaborative is pleased to announce it is soliciting nominations for the 2011 Juanita Haugen Community of Character Award. The Juanita Haugen Community of Character Award was established in 2008 to recognize Pleasanton citizens chosen by their peers who consistently model high ethical and moral standards of behavior advocated by the Collaborative: Responsibility, Compassion, Self-Discipline, Honesty, Respect and Integrity.

The award is named in honor of longtime Pleasanton Unified School District Board Member and community volunteer, Juanita Haugen. Haugen, co-founder of the Pleasanton Community of Character program, believed that part of Pleasanton's success is due to its compassionate citizens. She wished to remind people to model ethical standards of behavior. This year's Juanita Haugen Community of Character Award recipients will be announced May 11, 2011 at the Community of Character Collaborative Celebration at the Pleasanton Senior Center.

Anyone wishing to nominate a person or family who has demonstrated a commitment to our Community of Character traits through their volunteer work may download a form at www.communityofcharacter.org . The deadline for nominees is April 15, 2011. Nomination forms are also available at the Pleasanton School District office, 4665 Bernal Avenue; The Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce office, 777 Peters Avenue; The Pleasanton Library, 400 Old Bernal; or The Civic Center, 200 Old Bernal.

Nominees must be Pleasanton residents, demonstrate a commitment to quality volunteer work in the community and exhibit volunteerism above and beyond their day to day job responsibilities.

Juanita Haugen Nomination Application
Click on this link for a nomination form.

Hard copies available at Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce

Plan to nominate, individuals or families that exemplify character in Pleasanton today.

.......character, my friends, is a consciousness and commitment to a way of living. Mahatma Gandhi said it best when he offered the following:
Keep your words positive, because your words become your behavior.
Keep your behavior positive, because your behavior becomes your habits.
Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.
Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.
(DeRionne P. Pollard, Ph.D)

Community of Character Collaborative, P.O. Box 516, Pleasanton, Ca. 94566

Honesty

Giving your word is giving your all.
By: Jerri Long

"Little white lies" can be spoken so easily, so conveniently, that they can become a big habit almost before one realizes it.

While most of us would agree that stealing money from someone's wallet is reprehensible, how many of us are guilty of cheating in less obvious ways? Fibbing about why one is late for an appointment, calling in sick when one is not, passing on juicy gossip without knowing if it is factual, claiming credit for someone else's idea, understating to your spouse how much you spent on an item...any one of these may not seem so bad, but together they could signify an erosion of character.

An easy way to check on your own behavior is to ask yourself. "How would I like it if everyone behaved this way?" Because you can get away with something less than strictly honest does not mean that you should. Being trustworthy means doing the right thing even when no one else is looking.

But don't forget, often someone else is looking: your children, your friends, and /or your employees. "Do as I say, not as I do," is advice that is seldom heeded.