Our Mission:
To establish a firm foundation in which children develop strong civic values.

Characters of Character began in 1999 when Joni Downey, creator and founder, was working in a BD/LD classroom as a teaching assistant.  In order for the students to relate to the character traits that were being taught Joni created 9 animals to correspond with the traits.  This allowed the students to establish a connection with the trait being discussed, such as good manners and appropriate behavior.  Joni first saw the impact of her characters when the students in her classroom were able to put on a display for the students throughout the school.

Her students, coming up with the concept on their own, turned their classroom into a jungle as a stage for their play.  Although there was help from adults in the process of creating the jungle the students were in charge of performing the skit they had written for the other classrooms.  The students had created a play involving 9 core values including perseverance, friendship and respect which they performed in the 'jungle' that was once their classroom.  Since seeing the impact that her characters have on children Joni has made it her goal to continue reaching out with her characters by allowing them to make positive changes in the lives of children.

In 2007 Characters of Character was incorporate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  With the help of donations from people like you, corporations and philanthropies Characters of Character has continued to make an optimistic impact in the lives of children.