Character muscles need flexing

Romping in sand and surf, chasing lightning bugs, playing tag with friends: Summer is ripe with opportunities for building muscles—but what about building character?

“I would encourage Service Leadership Program members to build their character muscles,” says Lisa Pyron, sponsored programs manager at Kiwanis International. “During the summer, encourage members to pick up a few good books and build character.”

A few titles Lisa suggests include: Character Building Day by Day by Anne Mather and Louise Weldon; What Do You Really Want, How to Set a Goal and Go for It by Beverly Bachel; What Do You Stand For? by Barbara Lewis; and Doing and Being Your Best and Smart Ways to Spend Your Time, both by Pamela Espeland and Elizabeth Verdick.

Lisa says excellent books are available for a variety of ages from young children (K-Kids) to teens (Builders Club). She also says many of them work well for Aktion Club members. The books are designed to guide readers through character-building exercises, and some introduce peers who accomplished impressive tasks despite their tender ages. Fun quizzes, short stories followed by hypothetical questions, and other activities prompt readers to ponder and talk about their hopes and dreams while learning such positive concepts as citizenship, caring, and respect.

Most of the books are available from the public library, but if a Kiwanis-family member wants to purchase a book, Free Spirit Publishing offers Kiwanis-family members a 15 percent discount through September 1, 2006. Use coupon code K15 to receive the discount.

“All the books focus on teaching the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets,” Lisa says. “The more assets a person attains, the better prepared he or she is to deal with life’s challenges.”