Cultivating Character On A Daily Basis
by Carole Jurenko Jones, Alpha Delta (U of Alabama), 2017-2019 NPC Chairman
“We as Fraternity Women, stand for service through the development of character inspired by the close contact and deep friendship of individual fraternity and Panhellenic life.”
From The Panhellenic Creed
Character is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as one of the attributes or features that make up and distinguish an individual. As sorority women and members of the National Panhellenic Conference, we all strive to cultivate positive character traits, and as our collegiate members prepare to return to college campuses across North America, I encourage each of us, as sorority women, to cultivate our character on a daily basis.
As I think about potential new members and what characteristics they look for in the sorority women they meet, the following characteristics come to mind: kindness, humility, honesty, social intelligence and self-control. What characteristics would you add to my list?
On September 26, there is an opportunity to join millions of people around the globe to further cultivate your character by participating in Character Day, a global initiative where school districts, universities, organizations and families of all sizes screen films on the science of character development offered from different perspectives. Resources for planning a Character Day event include short films, discussion materials and a global live cast question and answer session.
Character Day is an advocacy program of Let It Ripple, a California-based film studio that produces mini-documentaries often focuses on social justice issues. NPC was introduced to Let It Ripple through our relationship with Vision 2020. Since 2011, NPC has been a national ally of Vision 2020 and has supported the work of their staff to make equality a national priority through shared leadership among women and men with an initial focus on business and government, where decisions are made, policies set and resources allocated.
Now in its fifth year, Character Day has grown from having 1,500 events in its first year to more than 133,000 events in 125 countries and all 50 states in 2017. I encourage you to learn more by watching this short clip.
To sign up your Panhellenic or organization for Character Day, please click here.