Stop by the Hendersonville City Hall on August 21st from 10:00-4:00 for their Hendersonville Handmade Market and from 11:00-11:30 you can meet our very own Self-Esteem Elephant and learn about our Library Project!

Hendersonville Has Confidence!

Self-Esteem Elephant is one of nine Characters developed by Joni Downey, founder of Characters of Character NFP, Inc.  The biggest message that Self-Esteem Elephant shares is, "I like ME!" -- the perfect message for children to internalize at an early age.  

Why is building confidence in children important?
Building confidence at an early age has the ability to make children feel better about themselves.  Think about yourself - when you lack confidence how do you feel?  You can be depressed, lazy, and settle for mediocre.  Now, think about how you feel when your confidence is high - how do you feel?  You probably feel motivated and fearless - even eager to ask for help if you need it because you're excited about your life and want to continue advancing forward. 

Confidence goes hand in hand with making good decisions.  When a child has confidence they are able to maintain a growth mindset, finding solutions rather than seeing the problems.  They are also more likely to take responsibility for their actions - the good and the bad.  

That's why Characters of Character NFP, Inc. developed the Mindfulness Affirmation Character Building Kit featuring Self-Esteem Elephant.  Our Mindfulness Kit is filled with activities, positive visual reminders, and allows children an outlet to express their true feelings and emotions while developing confidence.
“After having the pleasure to meet Mrs. Downey, I learned more about what her program has to offer and I firmly believe that it will instill confidence in the youth where it is needed now more than ever”.
Andrea Wise
Special Events Program Supervisor
City of Hendersonville, TN 37075

Characters of Character and Mrs. Downey are so important now for the well-being of our youth.  Our children need to feel good about the themselves and have positive role models.  The  Self-esteem confidence boxes are just the beginning of greater things to come for this generation. 
Diane Johnson, Library Director
Hendersonville Library
Picture
(Mockup of the front of the kit packaging)

What does the kit include?

Incorporating the arts with our social and emotional learning is extremely important to Characters of Character NFP, Inc.  We believe that allowing children a safe outlet to express themselves is key to developing coping skills that will follow the child into their adult life.  That's why we developed our Mindfulness Affirmation Confidence Building Kit to not only encourage a positive mindset, but also encourage the child to explore their creative side!
Each kit includes:
• Colorful packaging that doubles as positive visual reminders
• Watercolor painting activity (includes a 4x4 pre-designed canvas, watercolors, paintbrush, and a mini easel)
• Set of 9 affirmation cards; 1 for each character trait we focus on
•  8.5x11 colored poster to be used as a visual reinforcement long after the activities inside the kit have been completed
•  "I am!" name tag activity
• Self-Esteem Elephant themed folder; great to bring to school, keep positive messages in, or to be used at home
• Bookmark
• Crayons
• Characters of Character's affirmation coloring book
• An introductory letter to the child to explain who Self-Esteem Elephant is and the message we want to share
• Self-Esteem Elephant stickers
Picture
(Mockup of the back of the kit packaging)
*Characters of Character NFP, Inc. reserves the right to alter the contents of this kit based on available funding.  Updates will be made to this page in the event changes are made. 

Gift-A-Kit

The best way that you can support this project is with a monetary donation as most of our costs related to this project are going towards custom printed materials.  A $20 donation will fund (1) complete kit -- that includes all of the printed materials, art supplies, and productions costs.  We appreciate any monetary donation that you're able to make towards this project - every dollar makes an impact!
If you're interested in donating but would prefer to donate an in-kind gift instead, please visit our Amazon Wishlist for this project.  

More Ways To Get Involved

• Word of Mouth • Sharing this project with your family and friends, both in person and on social media, is an inexpensive and effective way to raise awareness!   You may not be able to make a monetary donation, but someone you know might be able to or they might work at a company who would be interested in supporting this project.  
• Sponsorship Opportunities • If you're looking to make an even bigger impact in Hendersonville, TN with Characters of Character NFP, Inc., please consider contacting us for sponsorship opportunities.  
• Join The Facebook Group • We've created a private Facebook group dedicated to this project.  We will post updates, free resources, positive quotes, and so much more!  Please join our group here.
• Amazon Smile • One great way to support Characters of Character is by choosing us as your organization of choice when shopping Amazon.  At absolutely no additional cost to you, Amazon will donate a small percentage of your purchase to our organization.  It's simple - go to smile.amazon.com & choose Characters of Character NFP, Inc. as your charity of choice.  When you checkout, Amazon will give a small percentage back to our organization.  *Please note that you must go to smile.amazon.com for a donation to be made.  If you're using your phone, please view your settings to update your Amazon Smile Charity. 
• Ask Your Co-Workers For Support • If your work gives back or your co-workers are interested in donating to local charities, please consider throwing Characters of Character's name into the mix for donations.  Some ideas include; putting out a jar to collect change, choosing Characters of Character for a donation match with your employer, having a competition to see who can donate the most crayons, watercolors, etc.

Donation Goal & Distribution Plan

Characters of Character NFP, Inc.'s goal is to donate 250 complete kits to the Hendersonville Library.  We are working closely with the library to ensure that distributing the kits is done efficiently and reaching as many children and families as possible.  Ideally, Self-Esteem Elephant will be in Hendersonville to hand out the kits in person.  Due to the pandemic and funding restrictions plans might change, but we will post updates on this page with the latest information.  

Free Self-Esteem Elephant Resources

As part of this project, Characters of Character NFP, Inc. created free self-esteem resources for you to download and print.  If you like the free resources, please consider making a donation to Characters of Character.  Every dollar makes an impact and allows us to continue our mission to provide a firm foundation for children to develop strong civic values.

Thank You For Your Support!